It has been a long time since I’ve read a book translated from French. To be honest, I don’t even remember the last book I read from a French author, which probably means I didn’t enjoy it. However, The Martins, written by David Foenkinos and translated by Sam Taylor, is truly a delight.

I do not remember if I requested a copy of this book or just received it out of the blue, but it doesn’t matter. I was drawn to this book just by looking at the cover and was rewarded for my interest. The Martins is such an interesting and smartly written book, one that is unexpected in its range. The book is written from the point of view of an author who decides to write his next book about the first person he meets on the street, which is a wild idea to begin with. But when he meets an old woman on her way home from the grocery store, the narrator is sucked into the lives and secrets of his new subject and her family almost immediately. His random act becomes a discovery of not just this family and its members’ revelations, but also of himself. The author becomes invested in the lives of the family members while coming to terms with his own issues.

The book is short and can easily be read in one sitting. I enjoyed it so much and want to read more of Foenkinos’ work. He writes with a simplicity that isn’t dumbed down and creates characters that are both interesting and very human. The Martins are regular people who rightfully wonder if they are worth writing about. They are normal and don’t do anything even mildly book-worthy, in their eyes. But from the short time it took for me to read this book, they absolutely are.

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