French-Vietnamese author Linda Le is among the four final candidates in the running for the prestigious 2012 Goncourt Prize.
Her novel, Lame de fond (Groundswell), is a slice of contemporary French life. It focuses on four main characters: Van (a Vietnamese resident in France), his wife Lou, their daughter Laure, and his mistress Ulma.
After leaving Ulma’s house at night, Van is fatally run over by his wife’s car.
He reviews his life’s triumphs, defeats, and mistakes from the sanctuary of his own coffin.
Le’s fellow three finalists include French writers’ Patrick Deville with Peste & Choléra (Plague & Cholera) and Jérôme Ferrari with Le Sermon sur la Chute de Rome (The Sermon on the Fall of Rome), as well as Switzerland’s Joel Dicker with La Vérité sur l’affaire Harry Quebert (The Truth of Harry Quebert Matter).
The final results of the 2012 Goncourt Prize will be unveiled in Paris on November 7.
Last year, Alexis Jenni won the prize with his debut L’Art Francais de la Guerre (The French Art of War).
