"The novel opens in Paris in 1978 with a moment of affinity on the steps of Sacre-Coeur when students Laure Boutin and Erica Parker first glimpse each other, and then teases the reader with more than 400 pages of will-they-won't-they misunderstandings, ecstasies and sorrows. This is a tale of missed chances, of the choices we make, and of queer and bisexual love in different social climates."
"With her slightly terrifying aura, uncompromising Parisian Laure hadn't expected to meet an angel on the basilica's steps. Erica, six years younger, gauche and beautiful, presents as the nervous English tourist she is. Supposedly straight, she is spending the summer in France before starting uni, whereas Laure is a queer seducer who treats her conquests with comparatively little emotion. Until Erica swings into view. Coup de foudre."
"The two women are in love, although they manage to taint the ardour with classic youthful paranoia and over-interpretation. Laure is developing a problem with alcohol, and Erica is struggling with sexuality and self-doubt. Now, and ever after, she plays versions of her life on fast forward, staying, not staying."
Almost Life follows Laure Boutin and Erica Parker from their first meeting on the steps of Sacre-Coeur in Paris in 1978 through more than 400 pages of romantic uncertainty. Laure, a confident Parisian queer seducer, encounters Erica, a younger English tourist supposedly straight before university. Despite their differences, they fall in love while navigating bohemian Paris's artistic and intellectual circles. Both struggle with personal demons—Laure develops an alcohol problem while Erica grapples with sexuality and self-doubt. The narrative explores their relationship across years and continents, examining themes of missed chances, life choices, and bisexual and queer love within varying social climates. The novel balances intimate moments between the protagonists with their separate life trajectories.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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