New novel by Sophie Divry

Rochebrune, the new novel by Sophie Divry, explores the tensions and contradictions within a reconstituted family during a mountain trip, where human relationships, certainties, and the natural environment collide. Published by Actes Sud, the novel was presented by Margot Bonvalet, a bookseller in Lyon, who highlighted the author's humor and irony, as well as the existential depth of the second half of the story.

Setting and characters

The story begins on All Saints' Day, when Isabelle and Xavier take their children, Noémie (14 years old) and Léon (7 years old), to a fictional cabin in the Haute-Aigues mountain range. Family tensions, already present, intensify due to bad weather and isolation. Margot Bonvalet noted that the novel examines social and emotional differences between the characters, especially between Isabelle, daughter of a mechanic and a town clerk, and Xavier, from a bourgeois family.

Challenges and themes

The children, Noémie and Léon, also bring their own difficulties to the shared living situation. Margot Bonvalet emphasized that the novel does not reduce to a simple dysfunctional family story, but raises the question of the difficulty of building a shared existence. The story takes a darker turn when Xavier, isolated in the mountains after a rockslide, faces the possibility of dying.

Existential and environmental themes

For Margot Bonvalet, this part of the book is the heart of the narrative, offering an unexpected existential depth. The novel also addresses ecological themes, showing how the characters ignore environmental warnings. Rochebrune combines several literary registers, ranging from family chronicle to ecological reflection, while refusing to be reduced to a simple thriller or mystery.

Literary success and impact

The book has been described as a text that challenges perspective, questions human relationships, and reminds us of the fragility of certainties. Margot Bonvalet stated that Rochebrune succeeds precisely because it refuses to choose between the pleasure and the gravity of what it portrays.