If Only Format: Hardback

Something big stands between Amélie and Vincent: life

Amélie and Vincent meet as students at the Sorbonne at the end of the 1980s. It's love at first sight for both, but neither dares confess their feelings to the other. Neither of them feels like they are 'good enough', no one makes the first move, or is courageous enough to take hold of the joy before them… They agree to meet again, but the young woman is late. And in those few minutes, it's not just a date she misses out on, but her entire life. The young man and woman get swept up by life as it carries them towards fates they no longer control, jobs they didn't choose, marriages and relationships that become rocky. Life that takes them down paths, through doors, into hallways, for ten, twenty or thirty years… It is the story of two lives in parallel across the decades, the story of Amélie and Vincent's relationships and careers, the story of chance encounters that bring them together again and again. But is it ever the 'right' time for this thwarted love?

A writer, director, and screenwriter, Eliette Abécassis is the author of over twenty books.

Éliette Abécassis is an author and professor of philosophy. Her first novel, 'Qumran', became an international bestseller, published in eighteen countries. In addition to her expertise in historical-religious topics, she is now appreciated for her literary reflections on relationships in the 21st century. She is a mother of two children and is committed to women's and children's rights. She lives in Paris.

Johanna McCalmont is a freelance translator and interpreter from Norther Ireland. She obtained an MA in French and German at the University of Edinburgh, followed by an MSc in Translation and Interpreting at Heriot Watt University

In 2004, she moved to Brussels, Belgium, where she translates from Dutch, French, German, and Italian. Her work has been featured by No Man’s Land, New Books in German, and the European Literature Network. In 2020, she was a finalist in the Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation. She is a passionate advocate for children’s books in translation and is a regular contributor to the World Kid Lit blog.

In addition to working as a translator, she also interprets at international conferences and literary events such as the Bergen International Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Hay Festival, and the International Booker Prize.