Bonjour Tristesse — Francoise Sagan

A sensational 1954 French novel that has become a contemporary classic - now in a P.S. edition, with the Diane Johnson introduction.

Set against the translucent beauty of France in summer, Bonjour Tristesse is a bittersweet tale narrated by Cecile, a seventeen-year-old girl on the brink of womanhood, whose meddling in her father''s love life leads to tragic consequences.

Freed from boarding school, Cecile lives in unchecked enjoyment with her youngish, widowed father — an affectionate rogue, dissolute and promiscuous. Having accepted the constantly changing women in his life, Cecile pursues a sexual conquest of her own with a ""tall and almost beautiful"" law student. Then, a new woman appears in her father''s life. Feeling threatened but empowered, Cécile sets in motion a devastating plan that claims a surprising victim.

Deceptively simple in structure, Bonjour Tristesse is a complex and beautifully composed portrait of casual amorality and a young woman''s desperate attempt to understand and control the world around her.