Novel to Explore Violence Against Women Through Personal and Tragic Cases
Paris – Mauritian novelist Nathacha Appanah will release “La Nuit à Coeur” (Heart at Night), a forthcoming work delving into the complexities of grip and violence experienced by women, interwoven with the authorS own experiences and the stories of two women: her cousin Emma, killed in 2000, and Chahinez Daoud, tragically burned in 2021. The novel promises a raw and unflinching examination of domestic abuse, framed by Appanah’s meticulous approach to language and her internal struggle with the ethics of representing such profound trauma.
Appanah’s project arrives amid heightened global awareness of femicide and domestic violence, issues that disproportionately impact women worldwide. France, in particular, has seen a surge in public outcry and governmental action following a series of high-profile killings of women. “La Nuit à Coeur” aims to contribute to this critical conversation by offering a deeply personal and literary exploration of the forces that perpetuate violence against women,and the lasting impact on those left behind. The book will not only recount events but also dissect the author’s own process of grappling with the legitimacy of writing about these experiences, effectively creating a meta-narrative alongside the central stories.
The novel will navigate the simultaneous experience of distance and ultraproximity to the subject matter, meticulously seeking the “correctness of words, expressions, images” to convey the feelings, impulses, and pain involved.Appanah frames the work as akin to a book journal,documenting her questioning of whether and how to braid her own story with those of Emma and Chahinez.
