Based on a true story, by Delphine de Vigan
"I'd like to describe how L. came into my life, and in what circumstances. I'd like to describe precisely the context that enabled L. to invade my private sphere and patiently take possession of it.
But it's not that simple."
Just published by Bloomsbury in a translation by George Miller, Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan is a prize-winning, sophisticated and chilling novel of suspense which continually blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction and will leave you questioning its significance long after you have turned the final page.
Overwhelmed by the huge success of her latest novel, exhausted and unable to begin writing her next book, Delphine meets L. L. is the kind of impeccable, sophisticated woman who fascinates Delphine; a woman with smooth hair, perfectly filed nails and a gift for saying the right thing. Delphine finds herself irresistibly drawn to her, their friendship growing as their meetings, notes and texts increase. But as L. begins to dress like Delphine, and, in the face of Delphin's crippling inability to write, even offers to answer her emails, their relationship rapidly intensifies. L. becomes more and more involved in Delphine's life until she patiently takes control and turns it upside down: slowly, surely, insidiously.
The book plays on the codes and clichés of both self-absorbed French autofiction and Gone Girl-esque stories of master manipulation, exploring the narrator's tightrope walk on the line between reality and fantasy, friendship and fascination. Written under the auspices of Stephen King, De Vigan's work is also reminiscent of David Koepp's take on Secret Window in its exploration of paranoia and writer's block. Its cinematographic potential has been widely recognised as a film adaptation by Roman Polanski and Oliver Assayas is already planned.
The author:
Delphine de Vigan is the author of bestselling D’après une histoire vraie, winner of the Prix Renaudot and Prix Goncourt des lycéens. Her previous novel, Nothing Holds Back the Night won the Prix FNAC and the Grand Prix des Lectrices de ELLE. No and Me (2010) was a bestseller in France and was awarded the Prix des Libraires, translated into twenty languages and adapted into a movie. In Britain it was a Richard & Judy selection and has sold over 70,000 copies. Underground Time was shortlisted for the Goncourt Prize in 2009.
These days, she is touring with singer-songwriter La Grande Sophie. After creating a first show from their combined artistic universes, they wanted to continue this experience, to further explore this hybrid form of creation with a new collaborative performance entitled L'Une et L'Autre.
Praise:
“The latest literary sensation ... It has people in a word-of-mouth frenzy I've not seen since Gone Girl ... De Vigan's description of a close female friendship is a compulsive but agonising read” – Celia Walden, Telegraph
“All writing is constructed on shifting sands, but I've never read a book that makes the complex relationship between reality and fiction both as visible, and at the same time so opaque, as here. I was captivated. Combining the allure of Gone Girl with the sophistication of literary fiction, Based on a True Story is a creepy but unapologetically clever psychological thriller that also aces the Bechdel test” – Independent
“A wonderful literary trompe l'oeil: a book about friendship, writing and the boundary between reality and fantasy ... Dark, smart, strange, compelling” – Harriet Lane, bestselling author of Her
“An incredible true story of obsessive female friendship that grips until the very last mark on the very last page” – Denise Mina, bestselling author of The Long Drop
“A story that keeps the reader guessing until – and beyond – the very end... A story of memory and friendship, a cracking page-turner and a journey into what the essence of fiction, and indeed autobiography, might be. Excellent” – Nicholas Searle, author of The Good Liar
“This is an addictive read. Clever, compulsive and deft. De Vigan kept me guessing to the point where I even began to question the reality of the pages in my hand. Fantastic” – Ann Morgan, author of Beside Myself
You can also read this enthusiastic review by The National.
Delphine de Vigan, rarely seen in the United Kingdom, will come to the Institut Français Sunday 13th May at the occasion of our brand new French literature festival Beyond Words, to talk about Based on true story and more. Info and booking here.