Annie Ernaux’s “Simple Passion” Reminds Us of the Intensity Of love
This small, perfectly formed novella, is an ode to the power of writing and will take your breath away
Simple Passion documents the myriad of feelings that come with love, desire and infatuation. Written by Annie Ernaux, a renowned French writer, this novel adopts a stark and revealing writing style, as she doesn’t stray away from depicting romantic obsession with the human rawness it deserves.
The novel is concise, but the density of emotion it portrays provides the reader with raw anecdotes on the short and intense two-year affair her unnamed narrator has with a married man. This experience is explored so honestly, and Ernaux depicts what it feels like to have an “existence lived entirely for someone else.”
As a first-time Ernaux reader, I had no idea what to expect, but Simple Passion certainly took my breath away.
Many thanks to Fitzcarraldo Editions for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
Annie Ernaux grew up in Normandy, and despite being relatively unknown in the UK, her books are considered contemporary classics in France.
