Three – Valérie Perrin

Summary

In 1986, Nina, Etienne and Adrien are 9 years old when they end up in the same class and become inseparable. They spend their teenage years together and have dreams of moving to Paris to start a band. Thirty years later, a body found in a car submerged in a lake brings them back to their childhood town in France.

Quote

“[…] how the pain of a sudden death can make you suffer, enough to puncture your organs, like being stabbed with a knife and without anesthetic, how it shuts off everything, including plans for the future.”

Interesting Facts

  • Valérie Perrin was inspired to write this book about teenager friendships when she read Lie With Me by Philippe Besson.1
  • In Three, music is very present, as the author mentions many singers and bands (Indochine, U2, Depeche Mode, INXS, A-ha, etc.), and the readers who have grown up in the 80s and 90s will feel nostalgic about this period.1
  • Valérie Perrin started writing novels when she was 48. It usually takes her about 3 years to write a book, because her plots are as complex as thrillers. As she is a screenwriter, her books could easily be adapted for cinema. She knows how to set scenes and use dialogues.2
  • When the author buys a book, she never reads the summary on the back cover. She doesn’t want to know what happens before she reads it. Instead, she reads the first page of the book. That’s what makes her want to buy it.2
  • In Three, Nina works at an animal shelter. In real life, the author sponsors an animal shelter, and she loves dogs.3
  • Valérie Perrin is married to French filmmaker Claude Lelouch. They have often collaborated on screenplays. Between them, they have 9 children (7 for Claude and 2 for Valérie), and have several grandkids.4

1Source: L’Info du Vrai
2Source: nb Magazine
3Source: My Weekly
4Source: Paris Match

Valérie Perrin

Cecile

Cécile Sune was born in Lyon, France, and her obsession with books started when she was 14. Her grandparents had lent her Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and she spent part of the summer indoors reading. Needless to say, her tan didn't really improve that year! It was also around that time that Cécile fell in love with the English language. Several years later, in 1999, Cécile moved to Toronto, Canada, with her cat and 5 suitcases. Her love of reading greatly increased when she discovered that English books were much cheaper than French novels. In 2013, she decided to start a blog to share her passion. Cécile now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband and their daughter, and works as a freelance translator (CS Revision).