French Rhapsody

A letter delivered 30 years late sets a middle-aged Parisian doctor off on a picaresque, nostalgic exploration of youthful dreams and the path not taken

A “must-read. . . If it wasn't so funny, you'd weep for the roads not taken”  — Le Figaro

“Beautifully written, superbly plotted and with a brilliant twist at the end”  — Daily Mail

Middle-aged doctor Alain Massoulier has received a life-changing letter—33 years too late. Lost in the Paris postal system for decades, the letter from Polydor, dated 1983, offers a recording contract to The Holograms, the band in which a much younger Alain played lead guitar. Back then The Holograms had believed in their cutting-edge sound. However, the music industry remained indifferent, and eventually the band split up, each going their own way.

Alain is overcome by nostalgia, and is tempted to track down the members of the group. But in a world where everything and everyone has changed . . . where will his quest take him?

Rocketing around Paris and shifting perspective from Alain to his unfaithful wife, his former band members, and the people in their lives, this funny, charming story is a love letter to the City of Light and to 1980s pop.

As the consequences of reading the letter begin to unfold, Alain wonders whether there’s still time for The Holograms to produce a hit – and whether their music might change the world.

Antoine Laurain is the award-winning author of ten novels including The Red Notebook (Indie Next, MIBA bestseller) and The President's Hat (Waterstones Book Club, Indies Introduce). His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris, France. Beginning in in 2025, more than a dozen of his greatest works will be published in North America by Pushkin Press.

Jane Aitken is a publisher and translator from the French.