August Book of the Month: Lullaby by Leïla Slimani - Read and join the discussion and author webchat on Tues 11 September, 9pm

[SorchaMumsnet]

Our second Summer book club read provides a thrilling contrast to our July book (Why Mummy Swears).

Lullaby is a dark exploration of the relationship between a middle-class Parisian couple and their nanny, wrapped up in a gripping psychological thriller. The book, by French-Moroccan journalist Leïla Slimani, has had everyone talking - and received acclaim in the form of prestigious French literary prize the Prix Goncourt. The English version has been translated from the French by Sam Taylor.

Find out more about the book, read - or listen to - an extract and see what the Mumsnet bloggers have to say about Lullaby. Leïla Slimani will be joining us to answer questions about the book on Tuesday 11 September between 9 and 10 pm,

If you're interested in joining us, do grab yourself a copy or download the audiobook and join in the discussion below.

Hi Leila,
The book was beautifully written with some beautiful descriptions in the prose and like others I was really impressed that the translator was able to carry this through for the English version. As a mother I found thus quite an emotional read. My question is how difficult emotionally was it for you to write the novel? Did you feel fully immersed in the process or were you able to easily switch off?

Thanks so much to Leïla for answering the questions that have come in so far. Just a reminder that she'll be back and answering questions live from 9pm this evening. Hope you're able to join us then.

Hi Leila. I loved the book. It's different from other psychological thrillers as we know the outcome from the first page but you still kept the tension going throughout. I found that I felt distant from the children in the book, possibly because I knew their outcome, but I became quite close to their nanny and their mother although I didn't like either of them particularly.

Which character did you like writing about the most and why?

The big question for me is why you chose to have Louise as a blonde white girl when most au pairs in Paris these days are immigrants? Were you trying to make a point with regard to how different races are treated?

I immediately thought of Louise Woodward when I encountered the character Louise... but I'm shocked that the character is named after her.

Were you influenced by any real life cases to prompt you to write this book?

What struck me was how I sympathised with Louise . Her crime was unforgivable But it was written such that I started to resent Miriam towards the end (whilst also understanding why she wanted to be free )

Which is very sexist of me I know !

The little girl does die ?

Any thoughts of a sequel ? Probably not !

@FernieB

Hi Leila. I loved the book. It's different from other psychological thrillers as we know the outcome from the first page but you still kept the tension going throughout. I found that I felt distant from the children in the book, possibly because I knew their outcome, but I became quite close to their nanny and their mother although I didn't like either of them particularly.

Which character did you like writing about the most and why?

Hello @FernieB, that's a very interesting question. I think that i liked writing about all my characters, for different reasons. It was very difficult to write about the children and to try giving them a personality. I didn't want the children and especially Mila to be a caricature. I don't think that children are sweet, naive and innocent. They are so much more! So it was a challenge to describe Mila. Then I enjoyed writing about Myriam, a woman who shares a lot with me and my girl friends. She wants to have it all. She thinks she can be a good mother, a good wife and a good lawyer but she discovers how hard it is, and she doesn't want to admit it. But of course, I must admit that Louise was the character I was focused on. She fascinated me. Her loneliness, her mystery, her silence. She is at the same time Mary Poppins and a scary witch. It was extraordinary for me to write about a woman like her.

Thanks to everyone who has posted such interesting questions so far. Welcome (back) to mumsnet Leïla - over to you...

@stopfuckingshoutingatme

What struck me was how I sympathised with Louise . Her crime was unforgivable But it was written such that I started to resent Miriam towards the end (whilst also understanding why she wanted to be free )

Which is very sexist of me I know !

The little girl does die ?

Any thoughts of a sequel ? Probably not !

Hi! Yes, sorry to disappoint you bit the little girl does die. And no, I don't think of a sequel, I think that I wrote all that I could about that story!

@SallySwann

The big question for me is why you chose to have Louise as a blonde white girl when most au pairs in Paris these days are immigrants? Were you trying to make a point with regard to how different races are treated?

Hello @SalluSwann, you are absolutely right, the majority of nannies in Paris are immigrants, mostly from Africa. I decided that Louise was going to be a blonde and white woman for several reasons. For me, it was a way to emphasize her loneliness and her marginality. She is the only white nanny! When she goes to the parc, she doesn't belong to any groups of nannies. She also feels humiliated ( and her husband insist on this) because she is doing "a job of immigrant". What was interesting for me was also the fact that her boss is an immigrant, from an arab country. It was very ironic for me, it was a way to tell my readers that life is not only about cliches. That sometimes reality is much more complex than what we see usually in the medias.

I loved the book - absolutely gripping and beautifully written. After reading it I found myself wondering whether Myriam and Paul’s marriage would survive the deaths of their children. I think probably not.....did you have any thoughts on this?

Thanks for answering my question Leila. I would agree that children aren't all sweet and innocent and lovely. They can be very devious and I'm glad the children in your book were written in such a way to seem genuine. They were clearly playing Their mother off against Louise.

Having read the original Mary Poppins books (she's nothing like the Disney film version) I can see elements of her in Louise.

@MakemineaGandT

I loved the book - absolutely gripping and beautifully written. After reading it I found myself wondering whether Myriam and Paul’s marriage would survive the deaths of their children. I think probably not.....did you have any thoughts on this?

Hi ! To be honest, I am a pessimistic person so, as Leila Slimani, I would say that it must be very difficult, for a couple, to survive such a horror. But as a writer, I don't know. Reality always surprises us, human being are often stronger than what we think. So, who knows?

Hi, Leila.
I loved your writing in this book. I found myself highlighting passages on my kindle as they summed up so many of my feelings as a mum who works full time. I found the story haunted me for long after I had finished the book.

Thank you for answering Leïla - yes people can have extraordinary resilience in terrible circumstances - I shall try to imagine them comforting each other, not blaming each other!

I would love to know if you're working on another book now? And, will the subject be as disturbing?

I found the scene where Paul and Myriam host the dinner party and make Louise join them particularly distasteful. They just wanted to parade her in front of their friends as some kind of trophy. Was this based on anything you've witnessed?

I loved all the “observation” that the characters do, especially Louise - there is a real impression that she’s spent her life watching others live their lives and not having had the good fortune of living an enjoyable life herself. I really felt this in the moment she’s watching the old woman sweeping outside her house on holiday in Greece. Very clever writing!

You did say she died . I just had hopes !

Merci

I also liked how you nailed French racism . Not that the UK isn’t but having lived there there is a certain flavour to it

It’s interesting that you talk about the skill of the translator in your earlier answer. One of our book of the months in the past was Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, an israeli author and we invited the translator, Sondra Silverstone, to join us for the webchat which was really enlightening. I remember her talking about how sometimes there aren’t words to translate but instead she had to translate the spirit of the novel - fascinating.

Leila - now that you have worked with Sam Taylor would you hope/expect that he will now translate your future novels?

@Belo

I would love to know if you're working on another book now? And, will the subject be as disturbing?

Hey Belo! Yes, I am writing a new book. I should say fighting, struggling, because it is very hard. I don't know if it is as disturbing, probably not because it is not as intimate as Lullaby. This is a book that deals more with political and sociological issues. But I enjoy writing it; it is a good way for me to say very impolite thinks, that no one want to hear...

Oh no FernieB I didn’t think that - I felt more that they wanted her to be able to join in, but it became apparent that would never really work - and that realisation made all concerned feel uncomfortable (especially Paul and Myriam)

Are there any plans for Lullaby to be made into a film? Reading the novel I could imagine it working well on screen. If so would you like to be involved in the screenwriting process?

That's interesting Makemine that we both read it differently. I felt Louise didn't want to be there and the couple were displaying her as a status symbol. I never felt they wanted to be her friend - maybe Myriam did initially but Paul never did.