Join us

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Newsletter

Alain Gillot

The Penalty Area

Cover: The Penalty Area - Alain Gillot

Alain Gillot

The Penalty Area

2016, pp. 192, Paperback
ISBN: 9781609453534
Translated by: Howard Curtis
Region: France
Available as ebook Available as ebook Available as ebook
$ 16.00
Sample chapter Sample chapter Sample chapter

The book

The Penalty Area is a heartwarming novel about overcoming adversity, making human connections, and playing the glorious game of soccer.

Vincent once had a shot at becoming a professional soccer player, but a career-ending injury put an end to his dreams. A tough kid from a poor family, he has become an emotionally cut-off man with frustrated hopes and limited options. He finds himself coaching an under-16 soccer club in an attempt to keep alive his only passion in life.

The team he coaches is little more than a roster of hotheaded boys, none of whom understands the on-field chemistry needed to win. Simply put, they aren't of a championship caliber. When his unemployed sister Madeleine, a single mother, dumps her thirteen-year-old son on him, Vincent panics. With no clue how to take care of a teenager, he brings his nephew to practice and eventually throws him into the scrimmage. It's then that Vincent notices there's something strange about Léonard. He has a preternatural ability for anticipating each striker's intentions, making him a remarkably talented goalkeeper, but he seems detached, absent, lost. It becomes clear that Léonard has undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome, and also that, with Léonard's abilities as a goalkeeper, Vincent's ragtag team has a chance to reach the finals. For that to happen, for the team to find a reason to rally behind this strange kid from Paris, Vincent will have to let down his guard and open his heart for the first time ever.

A warm and engaging read, The Penalty Area is about building a sense of family on your own terms.

The author

Alain Gillot
Alain Gillot is an admired journalist, a screenwriter, and a comic book author. The Penalty Area is his debut novel.

Press

From the same country

  • Cover: Madelaine Before the Dawn - Sandrine Collette

    Sandrine Collette

    Madelaine Before the Dawn

    2026, pp. 176, $ 18.00
    A Masterful New Novel by Sandrine Collette, One of France’s Most Daring and Acclaimed Writers.
  • Cover: Our Precious Wars - Perrine Tripier

    Perrine Tripier

    Our Precious Wars

    2025, pp. 160, $ 18.00
    An ode to memory, to home, and to the beauty of the natural world  
  • Cover: Mona’s Eyes - Thomas Schlesser

    Thomas Schlesser

    Mona’s Eyes

    2025, pp. 452, $ 30.00
    Heartfelt and full of emotion, erudite but accessible, Mona’s Eyes is a novel about love and beauty that will capture the hearts of readers.
  • Cover: Mona’s Eyes - Thomas Schlesser

    Thomas Schlesser

    Mona’s Eyes

    2025, min., $ 32.95
    Heartfelt and full of emotion, erudite but accessible, Mona’s Eyes is a novel about love and beauty that will capture the hearts of readers.
  • Cover: The Rarest Fruit - Gaëlle Bélem

    Gaëlle Bélem

    The Rarest Fruit

    2025, pp. 192, $ 24.00
    Gaëlle Bélem’s The Rarest Fruit is a captivating tale of resilience, discovery, and the untold stories behind a beloved flavor.
  • Cover: Forgotten on Sunday - Valérie Perrin

    Valérie Perrin

    Forgotten on Sunday

    2025, pp. 304, $ 18.95
    An unforgettable story about an unlikely friendship and about healing the wounds of a broken past from the million-copy bestselling author of Fresh...

More suggestions

  • Cover: Madelaine Before the Dawn - Sandrine Collette

    Sandrine Collette

    Madelaine Before the Dawn

    2026, pp. 176, $ 18.00
    A Masterful New Novel by Sandrine Collette, One of France’s Most Daring and Acclaimed Writers.
  • Cover: A Mask the Color of the Sky - Bassem Khandaqji

    Bassem Khandaqji

    A Mask the Color of the Sky

    2026, pp. 224, $ 19.00
    A bold, psychologically rich novel of identity, exile, and resistance from one of Palestine’s most vital literary voices—written entirely from...
  • Cover: Ashland - Dan Simon

    Dan Simon

    Ashland

    2026, pp. 208, $ 26.00
    A deeply moving family story unfolding in richly evocative prose and a poetic portrayal of a town in decline during the final decades of the American...
  • Cover: Floodlines - Saleem Haddad

    Saleem Haddad

    Floodlines

    2026, pp. 336, $ 19.00
    A sweeping, multigenerational novel of art, exile, memory, and the enduring legacies of war—set between London and Baghdad in the shadow of the...
  • Cover: Tangerinn - Emanuela Anechoum

    Emanuela Anechoum

    Tangerinn

    2026, pp. 256, $ 19.00
    Winner of the Città di Lugnano Debut Novel Prize and a finalist for the Bancarella and Rapallo BPER Bank Prize
  • Cover: The Burning Origin - Daniele Mencarelli

    Daniele Mencarelli

    The Burning Origin

    2025, pp. 192, $ 18.00
    A searing story about homecoming and belonging set in contemporary Rome 

Join Our Newsletter and receive a FREE eBook!

Stay updated on Europa’s forthcoming releases, author tours and major news.

Are you a bookseller? Click here!

Are you a librarian? Click here!

X