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The People in the Photo

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The People in the Photo

By: Hélène Gestern
Narrated by: Jeremy Swift, Anna Bentinck, Penelope Rawlins, David Roper
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A photograph taken in 1971 sets two people on the path to uncovering the truth about their parents and themselves.

©2014 Gallic Books (P)2014 Gallic Books Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction
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Critic reviews

"Every note of the characters’ correspondence rings true" (Le Nouvel Observateur)
"A page-turning novel with a skilfully woven plot" (Page des Libraires)
"Rich in deftly turned prose and subtle character study: (Sud-Ouest)
"A wonderful book about the archaeology of memory" (Le Magazine Littéraire)
"Elegant, restrained and poetic" (France Inter)
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This novel begins with a wonderfully intriguing premise: a photograph hidden inside a dictionary leads Hélène, a historian, to investigate a previously unknown chapter of her parents’ lives. Through letters, emails, photographs and personal testimonies, a complex family mystery gradually unfolds.

The book’s greatest strength is the investigative process itself. Like Hélène, the reader becomes absorbed in examining photographs, identifying faces, tracing relationships and piecing together fragments of the past. Some of the photographic descriptions are particularly memorable, transforming old snapshots into vivid glimpses of real lives.

As an audiobook, however, the story demands concentration. The large cast of interconnected characters and family relationships can be challenging to keep track of, especially if you’re listening casually or in short bursts.

My main reservation concerns the ending. Once the DNA evidence appears, the broad outline of the mystery becomes fairly apparent. The lengthy concluding narrations, first by Sylvia and then by Jean P., felt repetitive and over-explanatory. What had been a compelling process of discovery became a prolonged explanation of conclusions many listeners will already have reached for themselves.

That said, the novel remains an engaging exploration of memory, identity and family secrets. I was glad to have listened to it and enjoyed the journey, even if I don’t feel the need to revisit it. For me, this is a book whose pleasure lies more in the unfolding investigation than in the final revelation.

Verdict: Worth listening to for the mystery, the photographs and the atmosphere of historical detective work, but not an audiobook I’d be rushing to hear a second time.

The photographs

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