Description

‘An exquisitely bittersweet comedy of life’s missed opportunities’ Jonathan Coe, author of Bournville

A magical imagining of the fate of a fictional boy whose life is shaped forever when he loses out on the role of Harry Potter.

It’s 1999. Martin Hill is ten years old, crazy about Arsenal and has a minor crush on a girl named Betty. Then he makes it to the final two in the casting for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

In the end, the other boy is picked for the role of a lifetime. A devastated Martin tries to move on with his life. But how can he escape his failure, especially when it’s the most famous film series in the world?

Foenkinos’s smash-hit Second Best is a playful, poignant story about fate, loss and how the lives we wish we’d led might not be all they’re cracked up to be . . .

Publisher Review

Praise for Second Best:

‘A witty and heartfelt portrait of what happens when luck does not go your way . . . [Foekinos’] sensitive and empathetic handling of the theme of the also-ran is as instructive as it is entertaining’ Irish Times

‘A brilliant concept for a novel’ The Times

‘ Foenkinos has had a gem of an idea . . . a playful blend of fact and fiction’ The Telegraph

‘It’s about time British readers discovered the wit and originality of David Foenkinos, and this exquisitely bittersweet comedy of life’s missed opportunities is the perfect place to start’ Jonathan Coe, author of Bournville

‘It doesn’t get more captivating than this’ Elle France

‘Genius’ La Croix

Praise for The Martins:
‘A charming, clever book’ The Independent

‘This witty work of autofiction proves you don’t always need a plot’ Washington Independent Review of Books

Praise for The Mystery of Henri Pick:

‘A charming, quirky addition to the whimsical subgenre of books about book lovers, done with a light Gallic touch’ The Guardian, Top 50 Books of the Summer

‘A dull pizza chef becomes the author of an unlikely bestseller in this charming novel about the literary life’ Sunday Times, 100 Best Summer Reads

‘A charming literary caper . . . A playfully droll satire of the French publishing scene and a completely delightful jeu d’esprit’ Daily Mail

‘An elegant, irresistibly farcical comic mystery based around a library of rejected manuscripts, Foenkinos’ playful satire is the perfect feelgood read. An ideal novel for bibliophiles everywhere, The Mystery of Henri Pick abounds with Gallic wit and charm’ Waterstones

Praise for Charlotte:

‘Foenkinos writes arrestingly about Charlotte, masterfully imagining her interior life . . . So much space on the page visually transforms each paragraph into a stanza, while lending the words a solemn weight and power . . . [A] beautiful, wretched story’ The Guardian

‘From its striking first sentence there is no turning away . . . A far superior tribute to any commemorative plaque’ Irish Times

‘I am deeply, deeply affected by this sad, beautiful, indignant, wrenching, important book . . . It is an artistic privilege and (I think) almost a moral duty that you all read this’ Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent

‘An astonishing novel. Every line has something profound to say about love and loss, hope and fear, time and memory, and the enduring power of art’ Andrew Michael Hurley, author of The Loney.