"when i was a child, luxury was for me fur coats, long dresses and villas by the sea. later, i thought it was to live the life of an intellectual. now it seems to me that it is also the ability to live a passion for a man or a woman."

i have been meaning to pick up annie ernaux's works for a while now after seeing it nearly everywhere; the bookstores, my instagram feed, stories, and even twitter feed. all around praises for ernaux's esteemed books and now i can finally comprehend why.

finishing this book felt like a full circle moment as from the very beginning, our nameless narrator — or as we know, the author herself — expresses such an immersive detail on loving and yearning for a married man while later channelling that feeling of longing and grief of not being able to be with him into writing; the very book you're holding and reading.

ernaux's brilliantly evokes the emotions that has never been discussed before in "love stories", more so from the point of view of "the other woman". although i am unsure of how to feel of the topic specifically, i love the way the author discusses the extremities of yearning and the unspeakable grief that comes with it which i find myself relating to immensely. the way that she talks of writing and expressing her deepest emotions through it reflects my current state so perfectly well at the moment.

i am physically and mentally incapable to even intellectually discuss the depths of ernaux's brilliant writing in this one that i shall leave you to indulge the beautifully written reviews here on this platform that further describes the passion that is entailed in this book.

will definitely pick up another ernaux some time soon!