Elephant Paths
Publisher: Atlas Contact
The last holiday of a happily divorced family
In Elephant Paths, a happily divorced family rents a villa on the southern French coast once a year to recreate life before the divorce. Every family member thinks they are doing it for another family member, but only Professor Raad knows he is doing it for himself. Every summer, those few days on the southern French coast are among the happiest days of his year. Meet Rachel, Raad’s ex-wife, who has promised her new husband that this is the last time she will go on holiday with her former family. Meet their children, Sara and Gabriel, whose futures seem to come easily to them. And follow the single life of Grant, Rachel’s mother, who eats kibbles with a poncho on to avoid getting her neat summer clothes covered in grease stains.
Elephant Paths is a tragicomic novel about a family that clings to old and tried happiness against its better judgment, even though the cracks in the firmament are clearly visible.
Praise on The Sleep That Knows No Hours:
‘A wondrous book.’ **** – Het Parool
‘Chabot wrote a highly contemporary family novel, full of smooth dialogues.’ – De Groene Amsterdammer
‘From its first word to its last, this novel is packed with imagination, wisdom and heart.’ – Jonathan Safran Foer
‘Dazzling, audacious, one of a kind.’ – Joyce Carol Oates
