In her new book, released by Fleuve Éditions in January, Sophie Loubière takes a real-life event and transforms it into a chilling fiction. Five Burned Cards is an intense noir novel in which the author has infused part of her own experience.
Just hours old, Laurence Graissac’s life is already a nightmare. Taking the place of her brother, who was the sole object of her parents’ adoration, Laurence constantly pays for this place she didn’t choose. Bullied by her brother, overly adored by her father, mistreated by her mother, mocked at school, Laurence finds solace in food. She eats a lot, all the time. She gains a lot of weight. And nothing changes, everything gets worse. Until she discovers that her body can become a machine and she launches into sports competitions.
An oxygen boost in her life. But the past, her family, never stop holding her back, slowing her down, bringing her back to the cursed house so close to the electric transformer that birds lose their minds and people too, maybe…
Five Burned Cards by Sophie Loubière is a psychological thriller masterfully crafted. The author chooses to open this noir novel with an unequivocal scene, but instead of embarking on a classic investigation after the facts, she chooses to go back and trace the thread of Laurence’s life, from her birth to a hotel room…
Throughout the story, Sophie Loubière brings us close to Laurence, making us empathize with her through her writing and the insertion of short chapters told in the first person. With Five Burned Cards, the author tackles many themes – family, of course, the gaze of others, obesity, madness, harassment… – which will be the cornerstone of the extraordinary destiny of Laurence. It is with fascination that the reader follows her life, incredulous at such relentless events, then satisfied to see the tide turn, and finally stunned by the final outcome.
The die is cast. The path is set, and destiny seems unstoppable.
