France

Anne Berest

Anne Berest is the bestselling co-author of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are (Doubleday, 2014) and the author of a novel based on the life of French writer Françoise Sagan. With her sister Claire, she is also the author of Gabriële, a critically acclaimed biography of her great-grandmother, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia, Marcel Duchamp’s lover and muse. She is the great-granddaughter of the painter Francis Picabia. For her work as a writer and prize-winning showrunner, she has been profiled in publications such as French Vogue and Haaretz newspaper. The recipient of numerous literary awards, The Postcard was a finalist for the Goncourt Prize and has been a long-selling bestseller in France.

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Latest reviews

“This novel is a beautiful, affecting portrait of mother and daughter searching for their family history.”

— On the Seawall, Jul 12 2023

“Whenever I put it down, I was pulled back by the sheer strength of Berest’s storytelling. Her ability to conjure real people in surreal circumstances while digging deeply into her own psyche is profound.”

— Jewish Journal, Jul 10 2023

★ “[A] brilliant work of autofiction... The book derives enormous power from seemingly small details... This is a gut-wrenching, exceptional work.”

— Shelf Awareness (Starred Review), May 19 2023

“[A] powerful literary work... that contains a single grand-scale act of self-discovery and many moments of historical illumination.”

— The New York Times Book Review, May 16 2023

“Moving…Ms. Berest has done her research, artfully weaving grim facts and figures into her family history…Let’s hope that a book like this, which encompasses both the monstrosities of the past and the dangers of the present, will guard us from complacency.”

— The Wall Street Journal, May 15 2023

“The Postcard recreates in stunning detail the lives of Berest’s lost family members and weaves them into a detective story, loosely centered on the postcard.”

— New York Times, May 15 2023

“The Postcard’s stunning surprise ending...leaves us wondering whether the opposite of memory is not forgetting, but rather indifference."

— The New Yorker, May 12 2023

“The Postcard is a can’t-miss novel from acclaimed French author Anne Berest... Her journey leads her through the history of her family and exposes the secrets her ancestors hid for generations.”

— Chicago Review of Books, May 1 2023

★ “Electrifying... Acknowledging both the horrors of the Holocaust and the humanity of those it targeted, The Postcard is a commanding historical novel.”

— Foreword Reviews (Starred Review), May 1 2023

“Anne Berest’s sweeping autofictional family saga, which traces threads of antisemitism in France from the Holocaust to the present day, has been a sensation in that country, scooping up a basketful of prizes, and being made a finalist for the prestigious Goncourt.”

— The Globe and Mail, Apr 28 2023

“I loved this book so much. I cannot stop thinking about it.”

— Book Riot, Apr 3 2023

“In this sweeping family saga, Berest illuminates opportunities for kindness and betrayal in wartime France and the long echo of the Holocaust's atrocities.”

— Booklist, Apr 1 2023

“The story overall is poignant, tense, restless, and ultimately pivotal, as Anne not only solves her mystery, but, more importantly, gains her identity...The anguish and horror of genocide arrive with fresh impact in an absorbing personal account.”

— Kirkus Reviews, Mar 16 2023

★ “Phenomenal...powerful...brilliant.”

— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review), Mar 5 2023

★ “Not only a significant contribution to our understanding of the Holocaust but a moving reflection on loss, memory, and the past, in equal measures heartwarming and heartrending. Highly recommended.”

— Library Journal (Starred Review), Feb 1 2023

“Undeniably compelling... A testament to the power of imagination and an investigation of empathy.”

— Vogue, Jan 9 2023