Description
A teenage boy sent to a religious boarding school dreams of escaping to a better life.
The third novel from acclaimed author Jean-Baptiste Andrea, whose literary debut won twelve prizes including the Femina des lycéens and the prix du Premier Roman. Devils and Saints confirms Jean-Baptiste’s talent for poetry and dazzling imagery.
An elderly man gives virtuoso piano performances in airports and train stations. To the incredulity of the passers-by, he refuses their offers to play in concert halls, or at prestigious gatherings. He is waiting for someone, he tells them.
Joseph was just sixteen when he was sent to a religious boarding school in the Pyrenees: Les Confins, a dumping ground for waifs, strays, and other abandoned souls. His days were filled with routine and drudgery, and he thought longingly of the solace he found through music in his former life.
Joe dreams constantly of escape, but it seems impossible. That is, until a chance encounter with the orphanage’s benefactor leads him to Rose, and a plan begins to form…
Reviews for Devils and Saints
‘A novel with great heart… a beautiful story’ Euradio.fr
Reviews for A Hundred Million Years and a Day
‘Unforgettable’ Mail on Sunday
‘Powerful’ Sunday Times
‘Quietly devastating’ Daily Mail
‘Every line is golden’ Sara Taylor
‘Sublime and beautiful’ Carys Davies
Sam Taylor began his career as a journalist with The Observer. In 2001, he moved to southwest France, where he wrote four novels. In 2010, he translated his first novel: Laurent Binet’s HHhH. He now lives in the United States and works as a literary translator and author. Recent translations include The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair, The Heart (for which he won the French-American Translation Prize) and Lullaby/The Perfect Nanny.
