A woman looks back on getting an abortion at seventeen; reflections on a love affair later in life; a lifetime of friendship is unexpectedly upended.

I’m reviewing these together [with Dix-sept Ans & La Tendresse du Crawl], since they’ve recently been translated into English and published together in one volume. A decision which I’m not entirely sold on - two of the novellas are about love but the third one about deep friendship feels like a thematic odd-one-out.

Anyway, despite my general misgivings with autofiction, I did enjoy these - the writing is astute without embellishment. Set amongst the liberal Parisian bourgeoisie, Schneck is self-aware of the bubble she is part of and the privilege of a comfortable upbringing and life.

Dix-sept Ans and La Tendresse du Crawl worked well together - between young “love” and later love, they feel like book-ends of adulthood and complement each other nicely. One deals with getting a (legal) abortion at seventeen, reflecting on this hard-fought right. The other considers love later in life, perhaps unexpected, certainly a different, more complex experience. Plus some swimming (I love it).

As for Deux Petites Bourgeoises, it’s a moving story of deep, lifelong friendship and grief. Friendship can be a more important relationship than romantic love, but is often overlooked.

Three astute stories of love, friendship and grief set in the liberal bourgeoisie of Paris.