At the end of an interview in a hotel in Bordeaux, an author sees a young man who strongly resembles his lover from more than 20 years ago; he discovers that the young man is his lover’s son, releasing a flood of memories of his adolescence in rural France and his discovery of the joys and sorrows of love.
Lie With Me is a short, poignant, and poetic book, in which the narrator grapples with his estrangement from the community in which he grew up, his grief at the loss of the boy he loved, and the brief, magical time they were together. The love affair between the narrator and Thomas is fraught, colored by class and cultural differences, the need to keep their relationship hidden, and their impending and seemingly inevitable parting: Philippe is destined to leave the small town, while Thomas is bound by family and the land to remain.
This is largely a coming-of-age story, but the characters’ growth doesn’t end at eighteen; indeed, there are some surprising changes to come, as Philippe gets second hand news of Thomas’ life after the end of their affair. It resonates well with Swimming in the Dark and In Memoriam, though on a more intimate scale.
