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L'incidente
L'autrice della Libreria del buon romanzo immagina la storia di Lou, una giovane donna che vede il corso della propria vita assurdamente deviato e stravolto allorché s'imbatte per caso in un evento molto più grande di lei. Una straordinaria prova di immaginazione letteraria a partire da un fatto realmente accaduto. Coinvolta per caso in una famosa vicenda di cronaca nera, la giovane Lou si allontana velocemente dalla scena dell'incidente. Per lei all'inizio non sembrano profilarsi conseguenze gravi. Pure quando all'indomani la notizia esplode su TV e giornali per via delle vittime illustri, Lou non si sente responsabile e nessun testimone l'ha vista. Poco alla volta però i sensi di colpa l'assalgono e teme di essere rintracciata, denunciata, data in pasto alla voracità dei media, arrestata. La sua vita precipita inesorabilmente in un gorgo di paure, sospetti e rimorsi. Con un ritmo magistrale, una tensione che toglie il fiato, Laurence Cossé riesce a calare il lettore nei panni di una donna che si sente braccata e che deve quindi trasformare in maniera radicale la propria vita fino ad allora tranquilla e appagata. L'autrice della Libreria del buon romanzo immagina con un'efficacia stupefacente il destino di una persona coinvolta in un "grande evento della Storia", ma che la Storia stessa, la cronaca e la polizia non sono riuscite mai a identificare.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
6 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Laurence Cossé
25 books54 followersShe was first a journalist in the French newspaper Le Quotidien de Paris and then at the French public radio France Culture. Most of her novels have been published by the French publishing house Gallimard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 3, 2016
Before Lady Di’s limo crashed into a bridge abutment in a tunnel in 1997, it had side-swiped a slow-moving white Fiat. Police searched for the Fiat, thinking it may have been driven by paparazzi in a deliberate attempt to slow the limo down to take photos, but the vehicle and its driver were never identified. (There are thousands of white Fiats in Paris.) All this is fact. From this incident the author spins the tale of our anti-heroine in a fast-paced thriller. The book is a quick read, translated from the French, with a lot of local color of Paris.
She is simply a waitress, driving home slowly, exhausted from her late shift work. She feels the impact, sees the crash behind her, panics and races home. She doesn’t learn until later who was in the crash. She is obsessed with not wanting to get involved or get her picture in the paper from the media frenzy. Her life turns upside down in a tale of blackmail, kidnapping and murder. And it’s quite a surprise who the murderer turns out to be.
She is simply a waitress, driving home slowly, exhausted from her late shift work. She feels the impact, sees the crash behind her, panics and races home. She doesn’t learn until later who was in the crash. She is obsessed with not wanting to get involved or get her picture in the paper from the media frenzy. Her life turns upside down in a tale of blackmail, kidnapping and murder. And it’s quite a surprise who the murderer turns out to be.
February 7, 2012
Okay, Cosse' is obviously a great writer - but this is no A Novel Bookstore, unfortunately.
Lou[ise]'s life is irrevocably changed when she finds herself running from the scene of an accident that she may or may not have had a part in. Shaken and upset, she returns home and tries to pretend the accident never happened. However, she is immediately thrown off course when the next morning it is revealed that among the victims of that very accident was the one and only beloved Princess Diana.
I find the idea of the book extremely appealing and unique. Cosse' does an excellent job of portraying the anxiety felt by the protagonist who suffered under the extreme pressure and fear that the police would catch on and find her, so much so that you begin to feel anxious reading! This anxiety makes you fly through the already quite short novel. I had trouble differentiating between actual suspense and interest in the book OR whether or not I was just so anxiety-ridden that I had to finish for it to go away!
I guess you can say it was good as a psychological study. Lord knows I never thought to myself what I would do in a situation like that.
I would recommend this book to someone with interest in the events of Diana's death. However, beyond that, it became just a book to pass the time to me. An "eh" book. You know the talent's there but "eh." Moving on.
Lou[ise]'s life is irrevocably changed when she finds herself running from the scene of an accident that she may or may not have had a part in. Shaken and upset, she returns home and tries to pretend the accident never happened. However, she is immediately thrown off course when the next morning it is revealed that among the victims of that very accident was the one and only beloved Princess Diana.
I find the idea of the book extremely appealing and unique. Cosse' does an excellent job of portraying the anxiety felt by the protagonist who suffered under the extreme pressure and fear that the police would catch on and find her, so much so that you begin to feel anxious reading! This anxiety makes you fly through the already quite short novel. I had trouble differentiating between actual suspense and interest in the book OR whether or not I was just so anxiety-ridden that I had to finish for it to go away!
I guess you can say it was good as a psychological study. Lord knows I never thought to myself what I would do in a situation like that.
I would recommend this book to someone with interest in the events of Diana's death. However, beyond that, it became just a book to pass the time to me. An "eh" book. You know the talent's there but "eh." Moving on.
July 29, 2013
I was a bit surprised to see the lack of enthusiasm for this book in the Goodreads' ratings. Although specifically using the aftermath of Lady Di's death as the backdrop, it fits into a category of what I suppose you'd call psychological suspense that I particularly like, and which I associate with a writer like Dorothy B. Hughes or Sebastian Japrisot. Or with Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male. The protagonist, often female, finds herself in a drastic predicament, and the story involves the resourceful way the character attempts to squeeze out of the trap. This person does not have to be particularly "likeable"--we identify with what it feels like to be in their skin, not with their character.
In Cossé's book, the whole point is that the protagonist has done something that even she knows is reprehensible--she's run away from the scene of one of the most notorious car accidents of all time.
My blog post more specifically focused on this book is HERE.
In Cossé's book, the whole point is that the protagonist has done something that even she knows is reprehensible--she's run away from the scene of one of the most notorious car accidents of all time.
My blog post more specifically focused on this book is HERE.
January 30, 2012
August 31,1997. Princess Diana is killed in an auto accident in the tunnels of Paris. The papparazzi are implicated as contributing to the cause since Diana's vehicle was being pursued by them. But there is also the question of a slow moving vehicle which Diana's driver swerved to avoid. Was there or was there not another vehicle present and where did it go?
Lou, the driver of the mystery vehicle, takes off in fear. Only the next day does she realize she witnessed and may have contributed to Dianna's death. Her fear of discovery escalates to paranoia with plans to escape, hide and never be discovered. Will she succeed?
Laurence Cosse novel is a quick, light read. Initially, it is captivating with Lou's anxiety palpable. Somewhere though it looses steam. An enjoyable read but without the strength of "The Novel Bookstore".
Lou, the driver of the mystery vehicle, takes off in fear. Only the next day does she realize she witnessed and may have contributed to Dianna's death. Her fear of discovery escalates to paranoia with plans to escape, hide and never be discovered. Will she succeed?
Laurence Cosse novel is a quick, light read. Initially, it is captivating with Lou's anxiety palpable. Somewhere though it looses steam. An enjoyable read but without the strength of "The Novel Bookstore".
January 5, 2015
Mostly tedious but it redeems itself a bit at the end; I found myself rushing through it not to find out what happens, but to get it over with. Sorry.
The intriguing part has less to do with the mess after the Princess of Wales's death than with losing yourself, re-inventing yourself, hiding and protecting yourself.
The intriguing part has less to do with the mess after the Princess of Wales's death than with losing yourself, re-inventing yourself, hiding and protecting yourself.
December 8, 2011
Arrivata alla fine, ho girato pagina con la convinzione che quella non fosse assolutamente l'ultima.
Quando mi sono ritrovata di fronte ad una pagina bianca seguita dalla nota sull'autrice, sono rimasta sbalordita.
Cercavo un epilogo, una conclusione migliore di quello stralcio di dialogo quasi anonimo.
Non poteva finire così! Laurence, non puoi tenermi legata, in ansia per tutte queste pagine e poi improvvisamente lavartene le mani, lasciando tutto al caso e alle statistiche... Che rabbia!
Dopo i primi attimi di furia (non omicida, non temete!), ho razionalizzato e iniziato a comprendere il perché di un finale del genere a quella storia.
Ho capito che in realtà il fulcro di ciò che accade nel romanzo non è certo l'epilogo (sebbene il lettore gradirebbe un chiarimento maggiore) ma è racchiuso in due aspetti:
- il cammino che la protagonista intraprende, quindi le sue scelte e decisioni di fronte ad un evento drammatico e di portata mondiale;
- l'esperimento letterario dell'autrice, a partire da un fatto di cronaca costruendoci sopra l'ipotetica reazione di una persona "normale" che vi si ritrova coinvolta suo malgrado.
Siamo a Parigi, la notte del 31 agosto 1997 (come recita il titolo originale), e sotto il tunnel del Pont de l'Alma la nostra protagonista, Louise che chiameremo Lou, è coinvolta in un incidente di notevole portata, con tamponamento a catena, slittamenti, auto uscite fuoristrada. Presa dal panico, Lou fugge via a bordo della sua Uno bianca, che nella collisione ha perso un fanalino e ha rigato la fiancata.
Lou è sconvolta, corre a casa, cercando di non svegliare il compagno Yvon, e meditando di far riparare l'auto prima che qualcuno si accorga di qualcosa, prima che qualcuno possa risalire a lei. L'indomani, con più calma, decide di andare alla polizia a spiegare l'accaduto quando alla radio capisce di aver fatto parte non di un semplice incidente, ma di qualcosa di portata mondiale: la sua auto è stata una delle cause della morte di Lady Diana.
E' da quel momento che nella vita di Lou tutto cambia.
Non riuscirà a confidare a nessuno il terribile segreto e vivrà il resto dei suoi giorni con l'ansia di essere scoperta, leggendo maniacalmente i quotidiani, documentandosi sui progressi delle indagini, meditando l'abbandono dell'auto nelle acque della Senna.
I giorni sereni appartengono al passato, il compagno inizia a dubitare di lei non riguardo all'incidente, di cui è totalmente ignaro, ma riguardo ai suoi sentimenti...
Lou vivrà su un altro pianeta finché qualcuno informato dei fatti non verrà a cercarla: non la polizia come temeva, ma qualcun altro, peggio della polizia...
Stoppo qui il resoconto per non togliervi il gusto di vivere come me ogni pagina con ansia, avvertendo sulla pelle la tensione e la paura di Lou, condividendo i suoi stati d'animo ma non le sue scelte.
La sua decisione di nascondere a chiunque il suo ruolo nell'incidente e subire le conseguenze di ciò che questo silenzio comporta è difficile, per il lettore, da mandare giù. Lo si può accettare fino ad un certo punto, ma poi si sentirà il bisogno di liberarsi di questo peso e della paura collegata ad esso.
Dal momento in cui ha scelto la fuga, Lou ha smarrito se stessa. Ogni sua azione non farà altro che allontanarla dalla sua componente umana, facendo prevalere in lei il solo istinto di conservazione. La sua diventa una guerra per la vita e la libertà, e se ciò implica la perdita di altre vite per tutelare la sua, non potrà farne a meno.
Laurence Cossé è davvero abile nel descrivere il terrore di una donna che preferisce rinunciare a tutto ciò che ha: casa, lavoro, amore, identità e vivere nella paura costante di essere scoperta, piuttosto che accettare le conseguenze delle proprie azioni e pertanto rischiare il carcere. La sua è comunque una perdita, una non vita, ma non sembra rendersene conto.
Da queste pagine emerge un'interessante analisi della natura umana: come reagisce l'uomo di fronte ad un probabile disastro? Lo affronta a testa alta, accettando le seppur amare conseguenze, o lo evita, dando vita ad un disastro di portata maggiore?
L'essere umano fugge o resta?
Avevo già incontrato la Cossé ne La Libreria del buon romanzo: mi aveva incantata e avevo apprezzato le doti narrative dell'autrice. Qui ci troviamo di fronte a un altro genere di storia e narrazione, e non ho riconosciuto la stessa scrittrice che avevo amato precedentemente. Se non avessi saputo il nome dell'autore, non credo che avrei mai potuto associarla a questa storia.
Eppure la Cossé, qui così diversa, continua a stupirmi per la sua abilità di saper descrivere l'animo umano nelle sue paure e contraddizioni, e nel saper rendere il lettore protagonista della storia grazie alle sensaizoni, negative o positive, che la storia trasmette e fa sentire proprie.
Non posso che confermare il mio apprezzamento per la Cossé, come scrittrice e come francese, due elementi che fusi insieme producono, per me lettrice, i romanzi più piacevoli degli ultimi anni.
qui:
http://cuoredinchiostro.blogspot.com/...
Quando mi sono ritrovata di fronte ad una pagina bianca seguita dalla nota sull'autrice, sono rimasta sbalordita.
Cercavo un epilogo, una conclusione migliore di quello stralcio di dialogo quasi anonimo.
Non poteva finire così! Laurence, non puoi tenermi legata, in ansia per tutte queste pagine e poi improvvisamente lavartene le mani, lasciando tutto al caso e alle statistiche... Che rabbia!
Dopo i primi attimi di furia (non omicida, non temete!), ho razionalizzato e iniziato a comprendere il perché di un finale del genere a quella storia.
Ho capito che in realtà il fulcro di ciò che accade nel romanzo non è certo l'epilogo (sebbene il lettore gradirebbe un chiarimento maggiore) ma è racchiuso in due aspetti:
- il cammino che la protagonista intraprende, quindi le sue scelte e decisioni di fronte ad un evento drammatico e di portata mondiale;
- l'esperimento letterario dell'autrice, a partire da un fatto di cronaca costruendoci sopra l'ipotetica reazione di una persona "normale" che vi si ritrova coinvolta suo malgrado.
Siamo a Parigi, la notte del 31 agosto 1997 (come recita il titolo originale), e sotto il tunnel del Pont de l'Alma la nostra protagonista, Louise che chiameremo Lou, è coinvolta in un incidente di notevole portata, con tamponamento a catena, slittamenti, auto uscite fuoristrada. Presa dal panico, Lou fugge via a bordo della sua Uno bianca, che nella collisione ha perso un fanalino e ha rigato la fiancata.
Lou è sconvolta, corre a casa, cercando di non svegliare il compagno Yvon, e meditando di far riparare l'auto prima che qualcuno si accorga di qualcosa, prima che qualcuno possa risalire a lei. L'indomani, con più calma, decide di andare alla polizia a spiegare l'accaduto quando alla radio capisce di aver fatto parte non di un semplice incidente, ma di qualcosa di portata mondiale: la sua auto è stata una delle cause della morte di Lady Diana.
E' da quel momento che nella vita di Lou tutto cambia.
Non riuscirà a confidare a nessuno il terribile segreto e vivrà il resto dei suoi giorni con l'ansia di essere scoperta, leggendo maniacalmente i quotidiani, documentandosi sui progressi delle indagini, meditando l'abbandono dell'auto nelle acque della Senna.
I giorni sereni appartengono al passato, il compagno inizia a dubitare di lei non riguardo all'incidente, di cui è totalmente ignaro, ma riguardo ai suoi sentimenti...
Lou vivrà su un altro pianeta finché qualcuno informato dei fatti non verrà a cercarla: non la polizia come temeva, ma qualcun altro, peggio della polizia...
Stoppo qui il resoconto per non togliervi il gusto di vivere come me ogni pagina con ansia, avvertendo sulla pelle la tensione e la paura di Lou, condividendo i suoi stati d'animo ma non le sue scelte.
La sua decisione di nascondere a chiunque il suo ruolo nell'incidente e subire le conseguenze di ciò che questo silenzio comporta è difficile, per il lettore, da mandare giù. Lo si può accettare fino ad un certo punto, ma poi si sentirà il bisogno di liberarsi di questo peso e della paura collegata ad esso.
Dal momento in cui ha scelto la fuga, Lou ha smarrito se stessa. Ogni sua azione non farà altro che allontanarla dalla sua componente umana, facendo prevalere in lei il solo istinto di conservazione. La sua diventa una guerra per la vita e la libertà, e se ciò implica la perdita di altre vite per tutelare la sua, non potrà farne a meno.
Laurence Cossé è davvero abile nel descrivere il terrore di una donna che preferisce rinunciare a tutto ciò che ha: casa, lavoro, amore, identità e vivere nella paura costante di essere scoperta, piuttosto che accettare le conseguenze delle proprie azioni e pertanto rischiare il carcere. La sua è comunque una perdita, una non vita, ma non sembra rendersene conto.
Da queste pagine emerge un'interessante analisi della natura umana: come reagisce l'uomo di fronte ad un probabile disastro? Lo affronta a testa alta, accettando le seppur amare conseguenze, o lo evita, dando vita ad un disastro di portata maggiore?
L'essere umano fugge o resta?
Avevo già incontrato la Cossé ne La Libreria del buon romanzo: mi aveva incantata e avevo apprezzato le doti narrative dell'autrice. Qui ci troviamo di fronte a un altro genere di storia e narrazione, e non ho riconosciuto la stessa scrittrice che avevo amato precedentemente. Se non avessi saputo il nome dell'autore, non credo che avrei mai potuto associarla a questa storia.
Eppure la Cossé, qui così diversa, continua a stupirmi per la sua abilità di saper descrivere l'animo umano nelle sue paure e contraddizioni, e nel saper rendere il lettore protagonista della storia grazie alle sensaizoni, negative o positive, che la storia trasmette e fa sentire proprie.
Non posso che confermare il mio apprezzamento per la Cossé, come scrittrice e come francese, due elementi che fusi insieme producono, per me lettrice, i romanzi più piacevoli degli ultimi anni.
qui:
http://cuoredinchiostro.blogspot.com/...
April 17, 2015
I really struggled with rating An Accident In August with one star because I didn't hate it. But I just didn't like it at all and had a hard time finding even a bit of entertainment in it. Usually I can find enough to admire about a book or enough to be entertained by that I can rate it higher than a one, even if it wasn't particularly a great read. But I didn't find much to like about this at all.
The general premise of this book is what really drew me in--a young woman is involved in a car accident, this scares her senseless, and she flees the scene. The next morning she finds out that the car that knocked out her taillight and scuffed up her paint was the very car Princess Diana died in when the car veered into a pillar. The book is based around a "what would you do in such an awful situation" premise.
The writing itself was technically decent enough. The translation was mostly good, with one or two minor mistakes. I had a hard time getting past the lack of quotation marks, it made a few of the conversations a bit difficult to read. The author also focused a bit much on trivial details. I found it hard to keep track of the places and the newspapers and towards the end the other headlines. It wasn't interesting to read and I had to force myself through it.
As I mentioned previously, the premise is what drew me in. It was poorly executed. Lou was a character I couldn't relate to at all, which made the "what would you do" feel of the novel a bit annoying. Rather than the character's actions being believable, she just comes off as pure crazy. As Lou descended into paranoia and made increasingly insane decisions to protect herself from persecution, I related less and less. I held out hope that it would get better, but then she kills to protect the secret of what happened and doesn't seem to feel any remorse other than a fear of getting caught. This is of course after she had already spent the first half of the novel going insane with paranoia and guilt over feelings that she had caused Diana's death. Yeah, I'm totally still understanding this character.
The ending itself was so anticlimactic that it was pretty much boring. After all this trouble to protect herself, she turns herself in, isn't believed, and basically goes on living this new, semi-back-to-normal life. Uh, okay.
I had to force myself to finish this book. The character wasn't believable or relate-able at all, the writing was dry and bogged down with excessive details in places, and the ending didn't satisfy me after the build up of the character's paranoia. I really wanted to like this book and I really didn't. It was a chore to read. But there was nothing so inherently bad about it to stop me from reading something else from the author, which I think is why I struggle with this one star rating. The only thing that stops me from giving it an extra star is that despite not having anything that was just plain awful, there was absolutely nothing to redeem it after the boring chore of reading it.
The general premise of this book is what really drew me in--a young woman is involved in a car accident, this scares her senseless, and she flees the scene. The next morning she finds out that the car that knocked out her taillight and scuffed up her paint was the very car Princess Diana died in when the car veered into a pillar. The book is based around a "what would you do in such an awful situation" premise.
The writing itself was technically decent enough. The translation was mostly good, with one or two minor mistakes. I had a hard time getting past the lack of quotation marks, it made a few of the conversations a bit difficult to read. The author also focused a bit much on trivial details. I found it hard to keep track of the places and the newspapers and towards the end the other headlines. It wasn't interesting to read and I had to force myself through it.
As I mentioned previously, the premise is what drew me in. It was poorly executed. Lou was a character I couldn't relate to at all, which made the "what would you do" feel of the novel a bit annoying. Rather than the character's actions being believable, she just comes off as pure crazy. As Lou descended into paranoia and made increasingly insane decisions to protect herself from persecution, I related less and less. I held out hope that it would get better, but then she kills to protect the secret of what happened and doesn't seem to feel any remorse other than a fear of getting caught. This is of course after she had already spent the first half of the novel going insane with paranoia and guilt over feelings that she had caused Diana's death. Yeah, I'm totally still understanding this character.
The ending itself was so anticlimactic that it was pretty much boring. After all this trouble to protect herself, she turns herself in, isn't believed, and basically goes on living this new, semi-back-to-normal life. Uh, okay.
I had to force myself to finish this book. The character wasn't believable or relate-able at all, the writing was dry and bogged down with excessive details in places, and the ending didn't satisfy me after the build up of the character's paranoia. I really wanted to like this book and I really didn't. It was a chore to read. But there was nothing so inherently bad about it to stop me from reading something else from the author, which I think is why I struggle with this one star rating. The only thing that stops me from giving it an extra star is that despite not having anything that was just plain awful, there was absolutely nothing to redeem it after the boring chore of reading it.
March 14, 2015
You know that feeling when you think you've done something really terrible? It's not like you are sure you are guilty, and it's probably not your fault, but there is a sneaking suspicion that maybe you could have done something differently or that if one thing had just gone differently, you would be relieved of this potential guilt?
This feeling is perfectly captured in An Accident in August by the same author as A Novel Bookstore and Bitter Almonds. The eponymous accident is the car wreck that killed Princess Diana, and Lou just happens to have her white Fiat hit by a speeding car when entering the fateful tunnel. Lou wasn't the one who caused the accident (or did she?) and she continues to drive. Not until the next morning does she realize that her hit and run was the accident that caused the speeding car, containing Princess Diana, to flip and kill the former-Windsor passenger (or did it?).
Through the speculation in the press about the cause of the accident and a visit by a private investigator who is on the lookout for a white Fiat (but there are thousands in Paris) and tries to get Lou to confess, Lou goes through hell mostly from within her own mind. She's constantly looking over her shoulder and before long it's too late to come forward. Lou feels much more guilty than an outsider would thing she would be if it was just a simple side-swipe.
The psychological suspense as well as feeling of latent guilt is perfectly captured by Cossé in a novel of modern history. A few events are a little far fetched for this otherwise highly realistic novel, but these are minor when compared to the other strong elements of this novel.
This feeling is perfectly captured in An Accident in August by the same author as A Novel Bookstore and Bitter Almonds. The eponymous accident is the car wreck that killed Princess Diana, and Lou just happens to have her white Fiat hit by a speeding car when entering the fateful tunnel. Lou wasn't the one who caused the accident (or did she?) and she continues to drive. Not until the next morning does she realize that her hit and run was the accident that caused the speeding car, containing Princess Diana, to flip and kill the former-Windsor passenger (or did it?).
Through the speculation in the press about the cause of the accident and a visit by a private investigator who is on the lookout for a white Fiat (but there are thousands in Paris) and tries to get Lou to confess, Lou goes through hell mostly from within her own mind. She's constantly looking over her shoulder and before long it's too late to come forward. Lou feels much more guilty than an outsider would thing she would be if it was just a simple side-swipe.
The psychological suspense as well as feeling of latent guilt is perfectly captured by Cossé in a novel of modern history. A few events are a little far fetched for this otherwise highly realistic novel, but these are minor when compared to the other strong elements of this novel.
October 5, 2011
If you were in France or at least in Europe on August 31, 1997, you probably remember how all the news focused for weeks on the event leading to Lay Diana’s death.
In this book, Laurence Cossé uses the accident but with a very smart and original twist. Not sure this ever showed up in the news back then, but her basic theory for the plot of the book is that the fast driving drunken chauffeur crashed into the bridge because he tried to avoid a car which was unfortunately too well respecting the speed limit in that area – which is extremely rare, as you know if you have ever driven in those Parisian areas and in the périphériques. (If you are looking for a sense of danger and adventure, try it!)
So the book is about Lou the driver of that slow car. Seeing that she had involuntarily caused an accident, fearful about the consequences, she fled. And from then on, her life...
To read my whole review, please go to:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
Emma @ Words And Peace
In this book, Laurence Cossé uses the accident but with a very smart and original twist. Not sure this ever showed up in the news back then, but her basic theory for the plot of the book is that the fast driving drunken chauffeur crashed into the bridge because he tried to avoid a car which was unfortunately too well respecting the speed limit in that area – which is extremely rare, as you know if you have ever driven in those Parisian areas and in the périphériques. (If you are looking for a sense of danger and adventure, try it!)
So the book is about Lou the driver of that slow car. Seeing that she had involuntarily caused an accident, fearful about the consequences, she fled. And from then on, her life...
To read my whole review, please go to:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
Emma @ Words And Peace
September 9, 2011
Princess Diana’s driver sideswipes Louise Origan’s little white Fiat Uno in a tunnel in Paris. Lou sees the Mercedes crash into a pillar, but she doesn’t stop. The next morning, she realizes who was in the car that crashed. This quick-reading book is about Lou’s efforts to hide, to deal with guilt, and to step out of one life and into another.
The most interesting part of the book is when Lou dithers for the first week or so after the accident. She can’t decide whether to run or to do nothing. Suddenly a blackmailer takes control of the situation. After that, the reader is taken on a tour of shabby Paris suburbs. I never much liked Lou, and yet I couldn’t help rooting for her. I held my breath as she tried to stay one step ahead of police investigators, and, more importantly, the press. Themes here are luck,(poor) planning, and, of course, consequences.
Reminded me a little of William Boyd’s “Ordinary Thunderstorms,” another story about random luck yanking someone out of his life and forcing him to hide in the middle of a modern city.
The most interesting part of the book is when Lou dithers for the first week or so after the accident. She can’t decide whether to run or to do nothing. Suddenly a blackmailer takes control of the situation. After that, the reader is taken on a tour of shabby Paris suburbs. I never much liked Lou, and yet I couldn’t help rooting for her. I held my breath as she tried to stay one step ahead of police investigators, and, more importantly, the press. Themes here are luck,(poor) planning, and, of course, consequences.
Reminded me a little of William Boyd’s “Ordinary Thunderstorms,” another story about random luck yanking someone out of his life and forcing him to hide in the middle of a modern city.
December 4, 2012
The accident that this title refers to was the car crash in the Paris tunnel involving Princess Diana. In this novel Cosse imagines an identity for the driver of the other vehicle in the tunnel that night who was never identified. This novel reminded me of "Crime and Punishment" a great deal because after the main character realizes that what happened that night was more than simply leaving the scene after being sideswiped by a speeding car she becomes paranoid every second that people know what she's done and that the police are breathing down her neck. She feels that she has to escape before the net closes and makes a series of bad decisions in doing so. I think this novel was interesting because I think we all have times where we do something wrong, blow it out of proportion and are expecting punishment to reign down on us as a result, however it's usually not as extreme as this character experiences.
December 4, 2012
Gripping, compelling and brought me back to the time of her passing. The (anti-)heroine is empathetic. I imagined myself in her position, like in the crucial scene on pg. 132, I thought through different escape scenarios and landed on the one she [Lou] eventually went with. I was shocked and a bit pleased that she picked the same choice I chose. The descriptions of French locales make me want to visit. I'd suggest this someone who likes books about Diana.
April 2, 2015
This title didn't begin auspiciously for me. It was slow going and I found the protagonist to be a whiner, most annoyingly so. But because I liked another of Cosse's books, A Novel Bookstore, I stuck with it and am glad I did. About a third of the way through this rather short novel the story took off in a surprisingly different direction and the story began to race along. Worth reading therefore.
September 26, 2012
well written psycho thriller of the lady that actually killed that princess and her saudi prince. her "bookstore" book is way better though A Novel Bookstore moral? cars are dangerous, be very careful.
October 8, 2011
Disappointing to me, good premise as the person who accidentally caused Princess Diana's fatal accident, but portrayed as so one dimensional that I didn't care what happened to her. Slight interesting as a story of an individual whose life is overtaken by experiences often beyond her control.
August 23, 2015
The book was good but not exactly enjoyable. It's primary success lies in making the reader feel the gripping sense of fear and anxiety that the main character is experiencing. This is the case for the whole entire book, and it is exhausting.
August 14, 2011
4.5 stars
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January 17, 2018I couldn't get into this book. I didn't like the stream of consciousness writing style, and the main character was a bit tedious.
October 21, 2011
Started out as something I couldn't put down and then took a tumble. One dimensional story and not that believable.
November 6, 2011
Started off really promising, but lost its way in the middle. I still found it a good read, but ultimately it disappointed me.
January 9, 2012
Well written. Predictable in places but surprising in others. Worth a read (reads very quickly).
March 14, 2012
Good premise but silly book.
September 13, 2012
I quite like this Cosse Lady.
December 23, 2012
I actually liked this a lot better than A Novel Bookstore. Very brief, very readable, very compelling. It definitely convinced me to look for more by Cosse.
July 16, 2014
What a shame because I really like this author...
October 28, 2013
Could not get into. I couldn't relate to the main
character's worry/paranoia. Perhaps, based on what we know about Princess Di's death, I find it inconceivable that this woman would blame herself.
character's worry/paranoia. Perhaps, based on what we know about Princess Di's death, I find it inconceivable that this woman would blame herself.
August 19, 2014
I've really enjoyed the several books I've read published by Europa Editions. I wouldn't typically pick a book by its publisher, but I might try picking the next one that way.
August 14, 2014
amazing fictional account of an accident involving Princess Di in the tunnel and the cover-up resorted to by the main character.
June 16, 2025
J'ai accès à une petite succursale du réseau Biblio dans mon village et je suis en train de faire les rayons lettre par lettre afin de découvrir des lectures à mon goût. Celui-ci a été une belle surprise.
Suite à l'accident qui a tué la princesse Diana, la police enquête sur un véhicule qui aurait été éraflé par la Mercedes qui roulait à une vitesse folle. La petite voiture serait une Fiat Uno blanche, qui ne s'est pas arrêtée quand la voiture a percuté un pilier. C'est le point de départ du roman, où Cossé raconte avec beaucoup d'énergie les tourments de Lou, la jeune femme imaginaire qui a pris la fuite.
La première partie du roman est rondement menée: on voit Lou sous l'emprise de la panique, alors que la pression se fait de plus en plus grande. Ses pensées vont dans tous les sens. Elle devient obsédée par les informations à la radio et dans les journaux. A-t-elle été identifiée? Elle prépare un sac de voyage, au cas où elle devrait s'enfuir. Son malaise est très bien servi par la plume de Cossé.
La deuxième partie du roman se lit comme un thriller enlevant. Ça roule ma poule. Le roman devient impossible à lâcher. Quand on referme le livre, on continue à s'interroger sur ce personnage complexe, à la fois chasseur et chassé.
Suite à l'accident qui a tué la princesse Diana, la police enquête sur un véhicule qui aurait été éraflé par la Mercedes qui roulait à une vitesse folle. La petite voiture serait une Fiat Uno blanche, qui ne s'est pas arrêtée quand la voiture a percuté un pilier. C'est le point de départ du roman, où Cossé raconte avec beaucoup d'énergie les tourments de Lou, la jeune femme imaginaire qui a pris la fuite.
La première partie du roman est rondement menée: on voit Lou sous l'emprise de la panique, alors que la pression se fait de plus en plus grande. Ses pensées vont dans tous les sens. Elle devient obsédée par les informations à la radio et dans les journaux. A-t-elle été identifiée? Elle prépare un sac de voyage, au cas où elle devrait s'enfuir. Son malaise est très bien servi par la plume de Cossé.
La deuxième partie du roman se lit comme un thriller enlevant. Ça roule ma poule. Le roman devient impossible à lâcher. Quand on referme le livre, on continue à s'interroger sur ce personnage complexe, à la fois chasseur et chassé.
November 11, 2011
In a tunnel in Paris on August 30, Lou is clipped by a Mercedes speeding by, then hitting a pillar. All she can think of is to get out of there. If you're guilty of hit and run and a princess dies, what do you do?
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