Reviews of Summer of Reckoning
'There's an appalling, slow-motion car crash inevitability to this concise and beautifully written novel.' Guardian
'Marion Brunet reminds us that noir is a French word; that "life's not like a fairytale for silly girls. Life hurts." This is the first of her award-winning books to be translated into English. More, please, au plus vite!' The Times 'A slow-burn thriller, a social-realist portrayal of embittered life among hard-scrabble minimal-income locals and semi-settled immigrants, all living within walking distance of the luxurious villas occupied part-time by the holidaying wealthy.' CrimeTime 'A slow-motion nightmare notable for its evocation of febrile adolescent fantasies whose power extends well into adulthood.' Kirkus 'This novel is pervaded by a brooding sense of betrayal and unfulfillment, of sadness and revenge for the harsh realities of provincial French life, of the desperation of people forever looking for the main chance, but never finding it. Once you've read Summer of Reckoning, Provence will never seem the same again.' ELN "With raw, chilling and incisive prose, Brunet takes us into a world of sectarian convictions dominated by the hatred of the rich, the bosses, the foreigners and the 'different'." –L'Express "With its intense rage, corrosive boredom and low-life scams, Brunet's South of France is saturated with broken dreams. And the last flickers of childhood are terrifying, proving that, even under the strong sun, social barriers remain implacable."–Paris Match
