The Summer Boy

"Perfect reading for a heatwave . . . Doomed youth, simmering desire and 100-proof nostalgia is what Besson does—and he does it very well." —The Times (UK)

From the author of the international bestseller Lie with Me, a “prismatic…moving” (Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review) novel set on an island off the coast of France, following a group of teenagers and the sudden disappearance of one of their number, leaving the rest with an enduring mystery

Tell me, do you know why the most beautiful love stories must always end badly?

In the summer of 1985, on a scruffy resort island off the coast of France, six teenagers— five boys and one girl—band together for a final golden season before adulthood. Their days are drenched in sun, and their nights simmer with secrets, jealousy, and longing. Philippe is drawn to Nicolas, the quiet new boy who sees him in a way that no one else does. As their bond deepens, part of Nicolas remains unreachable—and then a sudden tragedy brings everything to a brutal end.

The Summer Boy is a lush and unforgettable autobiographical tale, capturing the ineffable summers of youth in amber. Celebrated novelist Philippe Besson has shaped his memories into “a haunting and wistful work” (Publishers Weekly, STARRED review) about how one night—and one fierce connection—can echo across a lifetime.

Philippe Besson is a prizewinning author, screenwriter, and playwright. His first novel, In the Absence of Men, was awarded the Emmanuel-Roblès prize in 2001, and he is also the author of Lie with Me, a #1 French bestseller. His novels have been translated into twenty different languages.

Sam Taylor is an award-winning literary translator and novelist. He has translated over seventy books from French including works by high-profile authors such as Laurent Binet, Leïla Slimani, David Diop, Maylis de Kerangal, and Marcel Proust. His translations have received recognition from the International Booker Prize, National Book Award, Dublin Literary Award, Scott-Moncrieff Prize, French-American Foundation Translation Prize, and Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize. Born in England, Sam was a journalist at The Observer (London) before moving to France. He now lives in Texas with his family and is working on his sixth novel.