Philippe Grimbert is a psychoanalyst. He previously published three essays: *Psychanalyse de la chanson* (Les Belles Lettres 1996), *Pas de fumée sans Freud* (Armand Colin 1999, Hachette Littérature 2001), and *Chantons sous la psy* (Hachette Littérature 2002). *La petite robe de Paul*, published by Grasset in September 2001, was his first novel. *Un secret* is his second novel. The Book: At the beginning of this novel, the narrator recounts that, as a young boy and only child, he invented a brother: "For a long time, I had a brother. You had to take my word for it when I spun this tale for my holiday acquaintances, my casual friends. I had a brother. More handsome, stronger. An older brother, glorious, invisible." This tyrannical phantom haunted his early years. Surrounded by silence, burdened by family guilt, the narrator feels the need to recount a past he imagines as smooth and peaceful, until Louise, an old friend of his parents and the child's confidante, suddenly reveals a heavy and shattering secret to him. This invented brother, Simon, truly existed and died in a concentration camp with his mother, Hannah, Maxime's first wife.
Memory
Year
2004
Pages
160
Tags
Description
Philippe Grimbert is a psychoanalyst. He previously published three essays: *Psychanalyse de la chanson* (Les Belles Lettres 1996), *Pas de fumée sans Freud* (Armand Colin 1999, Hachette Littérature 2001), and *Chantons sous la psy* (Hachette Littérature 2002). *La petite robe de Paul*, published by Grasset in September 2001, was his first novel. *Un secret* is his second novel. The Book: At the beginning of this novel, the narrator recounts that, as a young boy and only child, he invented a brother: "For a long time, I had a brother. You had to take my word for it when I spun this tale for my holiday acquaintances, my casual friends. I had a brother. More handsome, stronger. An older brother, glorious, invisible." This tyrannical phantom haunted his early years. Surrounded by silence, burdened by family guilt, the narrator feels the need to recount a past he imagines as smooth and peaceful, until Louise, an old friend of his parents and the child's confidante, suddenly reveals a heavy and shattering secret to him. This invented brother, Simon, truly existed and died in a concentration camp with his mother, Hannah, Maxime's first wife.
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