Translated from French. I think calling this a memoir is misleading as it was about well, lives other than his own. The first fifth is about being in Sri Lanka for the 2004 tsunami and a couple who lose their four year older daughter in it. And the rest of the book is about his sister-in-law who dies of cancer at a young age and the people in her orbit. Quite a bit (too much?) is devoted to the legal work she did involving credit companies. So if you’re looking to learn more about Carrére’s own story, don’t look here. But if you’re looking for topnotch writing and a deep dive into one of our greatest fears, losing a beloved too soon, this is a good choice.

[I just noticed that an earlier edition of this book did not title it a memoir, so I'm not sure why that was added for this edition.]