Couple Mechanics

(Paperback)

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Juliette, a computer engineer, and Olivier, a journalist, have two young children and the busy lives of a modern Parisian couple. On a beautiful spring day, while sitting by the river watching her children play, Juliette's cell phone rings. It is her husband confessing to an affair. In an instant, her world is shattered. How do you survive betrayal Can a couple ever be united again What lengths would you go to in order to save your marriage These are the questions that this novel, with great intelligence, honesty and humour, tries to answer.

Reviews

"A wise novel...Couple Mechanicsoffers a keen look at the work of love at that pointtough for everyonewhen passion must be replaced by will."The Economist

A gripping and darkly comic psychological thriller . . . Refreshing . . . Brave . . . the sexual accounting is masterly.Times Literary Supplement

"This novel packs a surprising emotional wallop, raising questions about the natures of passion and marriage."Kirkus Reviews

"An intimate...compulsive read."Library Journal

[T]he age someone is now doesnt obliterate the other ages theyve been Nor, would it seem, do the humiliations one endures eradicate the memories of previous indignities. Most beautiful where its most brutal, Nelly AlardsCouple Mechanicsis an unflinching examination of a marriage at the height of crisis. The predicament itself is unremarkable; affairs are as commonplace as the lassitude that so often initiates them. But the real plot of the novel takes place on a psychic stage. In lesser hands wed be left with melodrama. But the authors eye for fine-grained detail and her blunt-force delivery of the cruel truths by which lovers traumatize each other lift this extraordinary novel into the realm of the sublime. It is a relentless, breathtaking book. Jill Alexander Essbaum,New York Timesbest-selling author ofHausfrau

In her studyof the reverberations of betrayal in a troubled Parisian marriage, Nelly Alardattainsa level ofemotional intimacy which isalmost too much to bear. Not since Jane Smileys novellaTheAgeof Griefhas adultery seemed such a vital subject for fiction. Dan Pope, author ofHousebreaking

Vive la France. Nelly Alard is at the top of her game in this page-turner with her direct, fluid prose and her exploration of a modern couple in crisis. Mireille Guiliano, author ofFrench Women Dont Get Fat

Nelly Alard delves into the core of infidelity with wry observation and subtlety. Riveting, beautifully detailed and totally addictive. You won't be able to put this down. Tatiana de Rosnay,New York Timesbest-selling author ofSarahs Key

A story of love and resilience.Juliette is the epitome of the woman, unique yet close, complex, and lucid. Her strength will amaze you, her humor will break your heart, and she will stay with you long afteryouve turned the final page. Marc Lvy, author ofIf Only It Were True

Audacious, tender, and compulsively readable, this is a deep dive into a modern marriage that will leave you gasping for air. Courtney Maum, author ofI Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You

In Couple Mechanics we witness the autopsy of a love betrayed . . . Nelly Alard builds a breathless romance with suspense worthy of the best thrillers With her drive to perfectly capture opinions and emotions in all their nuances, the author recalls, with intelligence and elegance, how intolerable it is to love, to no longer love, to doubt ones own feelings, to suffer, to cause suffering. Le Figaro

Manipulation, a war of words, delusions, and passion set the rhythm for Couple Mechanics, a universal story of betrayal that the author presents with sincerity, humor, and heart, without ever falling into melodrama. Le Parisien

The novelist knowledgeably weaves her web, embroiling her heroes and her readers in a fatal liaison that verges on nightmare, playing with the cold and the hot. Of a rare relevance, Couple Mechanics confirms its authors powerful analytical and storytelling talents. Lire

In an unconventional style . . . [Alard] firmly leads her protagonists and the reader through an infernal spiral by which one cannot help but be fascinated. LExpress

Here you will find the unprecedented, modern, and unexpected. What is new is the massive introduction of electronic communication in adultery. Le Journal du dimanche

Author Bio

Nelly Alard is an actress and a screenwriter who lives in Paris. Her first novel, Le crieur de nuit received the 2010 Roger Nimier Prize as well as the 2011 Prix National Lions de Litterature and the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation Prize for the Support of Literature. In 2013 she was awarded the Prix Interallie for Couple Mechanics, the first woman to win the award in more than twenty years.