pickAnne Serre‘s novel is partly a response to her sister‘s death. This is a character study that plays games with the narrator… or The Narrator. It‘s wonderful in language, but a little lacking in reader drive. I enjoyed it enough and… it completes my read through the 2025 International #Booker Longlist! #IB2025
I will add my personal ranking of all 13 books in the comments. But leave off my quirky reasoning. Feel free to ask questions, though.
Started this. And it will complete my reading through this year‘s International Booker longlist - the 1st i will have done this.
#booker #IB2025
so-so"Was it true? Was she making it up? It doesn't matter."
Small but mighty. This is not a tiny book you can race through. The language is gorgeous but incredibly dense, I often had to reread entire pages, I would get to the end and not remember what I had read. Possibly this was too smart for me.
But I still enjoyed it, the mystery of the relationships, the aspects of mental illness were done well, also love the cover.
3.75/5⭐
pickA weak pick
Our Narrator is talking about his friendship with Fanny. & friendships are never easy, especially when you don‘t know which of you friend‘s personalities you‘re going to meet
I watched Jen Campbell‘s YouTube video where she read some of the longlisted International Booker books & one of several ideas she talked about was that the Narrator & Fanny where the same person, & the Narrator where Fanny looking at herself from a distance
pickTold through her friendship with the "Narrator" in short vignettes, this is the story of a troubled young woman.
It was written shortly after the death of the author's younger sister, but it is not clear to what degree Fanny is based on her.
It is a moving character piece, that draws a vivid portrait of a complex, multi-faceted personality.
Some very good writing, but I had some issues with (what I assume was) the translation itself.
pickA very slim book and a powerful take on living with mental illness and living with someone who has a mental illness. Also an interesting spin on fiction and writing - the role of an author and a narrator, the function of a story and who gets to tell it. I liked its creativity.
so-soA narrator introduces a Narrator who introduces Fanny, who struggles with mental health and hides a girl with a leopard-skin hat inside her. That‘s what her best friend, the Narrator says. But we‘re warned by the narrator that this is just the Narrator‘s side of the story. So Fanny remains quite mysterious.
It‘s a weird, very French book, I think half of what Anne Serre means with it went over my head 🤷🏻♀️
#InternationalBooker25 longlist
When I saw the Booker International long list earlier, I thought this title sounded familiar. I was so worried that I had sold this in our rushed move last month. Imagine my delight when I found it as I was unboxing yet another box of books today. ☺️
pickI wasn‘t quite sure what to make of this book - the story of a friendship between the Narrator and his lifelong friend Fanny, a woman with mental health struggles. The Narrator - who clearly cares for Fanny - writes about her as though she is a study sometimes. However, the last part of the book really clicked for me and how it looks at what mental health/illness means and a glimpse from the other side.
A Leopard-Skin Hat | 
1. On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle
2. On a Woman‘s Madness by Astrid Roemer
3. Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu
4. Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
5. Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq
6. There‘s a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem
7. Eurotrash by Christian Kracht 5mo
9. A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre
10. Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
11. Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami
12. The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem
13. Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda 5mo