"What are you reading now?" The Braid, by Laetitia Colombani

 Noelia's contribution

The Book

Source: Amazon

"The Braid" by Laetitia Colombani is a captivating novel that follows the lives of three women from different corners of the world. The three of them have, apparently, nothing in common. One of them is joyful because her familiar fate will change. The other is in charge of the family business making high-quality wigs. The last one lives obsessed with being the best lawyer. 

The book takes readers on a journey across India, Sicily and Canada, exploring themes such as breaking social stratification, responsibility, sacrifice, motherhood, and illness, among others.

Despite the lack of dialogue, Laetitia Colombani's elegant and evocative prose captures the reader's attention from beginning to end, digging into the complexities of identity, class, and gender. The narrative invites readers to empathize with each woman's psychological and physical journey. 

This novel would be perfect for a Book Club session, as members could spend hours and hours discussing the characters and their struggles. At the end of the book, there is a book club guide including questions about the novel, its characters and the readers ' opinions. 

I highly recommend this novel. It can be a bit predictable from time to time. But it's well-written and invites readers to consider current worldwide policies, stereotypes or how to face illness, among other existential and philosophical questions. 

The Author

Source:Amazon

Laetitia Colombani is a French director, actress, screenwriter, and writer born in Bordeaux in 1976.

After graduating from the National School of Louis Lumière, at the age of 25, she made her debut in the film industry with the short film Le Dernier Bip, for which she wrote the script, directed, and acted. After this, she continued directing, writing, and acting in both shorts and feature films.

In 2017, Colombani published her first novel, The Braid (La Tresse), which was a critical success — winning several awards — and a public success, with over half a million copies sold and translated into almost thirty different languages. Later, other titles such as The Victors or The Flight of the Kite were released.