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Red Is My Heart
How can you mend a broken heart? Do you write a letter to the woman who left you - and post it to an imaginary address? Buy a new watch, to reset your life? Or get rid of the jacket you wore every time you argued, because it was in some way ... responsible? Combining the wry musings of a rejected lover with playful drawings in just three colours - red, black and white - bestselling author of The Red Notebook, Antoine Laurain, and renowned street artist Le Sonneur have created a striking addition to the literature of unrequited love. Sharp, yet warm, whimsical and deeply Parisian, this is a must for all Antoine Laurain fans.
192 pages, ebook
First published January 18, 2022
About the author
Antoine Laurain
35 books605 followersAntoine Laurain (born 1972) is a French author. He previously worked as a screenwriter and antiques dealer.
His first novel "The Portrait" was published in 2007 and he achieved wide international acclaim with "The Red Notebook". Since then his works have been translated into 14 languages and partly made into films.
His first novel "The Portrait" was published in 2007 and he achieved wide international acclaim with "The Red Notebook". Since then his works have been translated into 14 languages and partly made into films.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 22, 2022
‘I feel as if I am looking at the world through a keyhole and what I see scares me. Yet I must open the door.’
I can see this book being a balm on the souls of those experiencing romantic heartbreak. Red is My Heart is a fascinating blend of prose, graphic arts and design about a broken heart hoping to mend brought to you by French author Antoine Laurain in collaboration with French street artist Le Sonneur and translated into English by Jane Aitken. Told through episodic vignettes with Le Sonneur’s art interspersed between pages, this is a visual achievement where even the prose is displayed in artistic designs and formats. Even the book itself, with the bright red and embossed wraparound cover that closes like a diary, has an interesting aesthetic design. This is a story of unrequited love, yes, but more importantly it is an exciting work of visual arts.
The visual aspect of this book is really quite lovely. I was particularly charmed by how Laurain writes Le Sonneur into the story, having come across one of the street artists pieces at a time when it truly affects him. ‘He puts up plaques, slips envelopes underneath doors or sticks fake doorbells underneath intercoms,’ he explains on Le Sonneur’s actual street art from his series Love Me (the design/culture magazine Cool Hunting ran a really intriguing article about this street art project that you can read here). He adds ‘His art does not last and serves no purpose. I could be friends with someone like that.’ I loved this, and felt an affinity with it as I too had cultivated a street art project leaving paintings with poems written on them on trees around my downtown. The ephemerality of it was something I enjoyed best, words left to the weather, but I also have had many people reach out to me and let me know a particular poem they found really spoke to them at the right time. I’ve heard of people who collected them and have them displayed in their homes, which is really cool (you can find the project on instagram at @poe_a_tree if you are interested). There’s something extra special about “found” art and Le Sonneur’s temporary art is striking enough to cause you to pause and consider it but also natural enough in its elements where it feels like childhood fantasies of discovering proof magic exists in the world. I love the inclusion of his art in this book and it is really cool Laurain collaborated with him.
Le Sonneurs own street art (above) appears in graphic form throughout the book
The art in the book is all black, white with hints of red and has visual motifs of locks and ladders to visually elaborate on the feelings of being shut out or hoping to climb out of despair. It is deceptively simple at times, or has a chaotic surrealistic quality that really charmed me. Meanwhile the prose is often written in various forms, or includes sections upside down or other cool formatting aesthetics. The interplay of the text and art creates something greater than the sum of its parts here, though neither is lacking without the other. The art is great, and the prose has a nice minimalist flair to it that almost rises out of the despair and moodiness weighing it down.
The story is simple, but almost deceptively so. It’s a fairly run-of-the-mill broken heart story feeling you’ve lost your path and not sure what to do next until suddenly someone else strikes your fancy, etc., et. al, that would have really struck a chord with me in my sad college days but just registers as melodramatic to me now. I think when you are going through similar feelings, however, this is probably a fantastic book for you but otherwise I’d rather reserve this sort of energy for listening to and supporting friends experiencing these heartbreaks. It’s definitely a “it’s not you its me” thing for being under-enthused about the story. I will say, however, that for the most part this book avoids the toxic sad boy stuff where they try to wear their weary ex-lover down to take them back or assume their shattered heart overrides giving the woman agency and space (something that I recognize now was really normalized in the turn of the century films and music of my youth, and is pretty problematic in practice). More on that in a moment, but this felt authentic without ever getting creepy and the narrator is able to respect the wishes of his lost love and let her get on with her life. A lot is kind of cute in a sad way, such as the narrator waiting at the airport on the day they were supposed to travel to New York together, just so he can hear their names called as a pair one last time when they don’t show up for the flight. If minor moments made large through emotion such as that is your thing, this will be your book.
That said, the framing of the story about Alain-Fournier’s unrequited “love” for Yvonne Toussaint de Quiévrecourt could be better. It tells of Alain-Fournier glimpsing her returning to her home and then going there every day to watch for her, finally catching her once leaving her home and telling her she is beautiful before following her onto a tram and following her into church. She tells him she is already to be married, and ‘offered a friendship he had no interest in.’ While I see this intended to be a story about him being so in love and hurt he would pen a single novel about her before dying in war, the framing of it as romantic is weird. I guess I’m just not sure if we should be viewing men following women home and about town as “loving them” when the only thing they know about her is her appearance. Particularly when he wouldn’t want a friendship with her if he couldn’t be with her. This feels less like loving someone in a healthy way and more like wanting to possess someone. I suppose the aim is showing the idea great art can come from great pain. This story is mirrored later when the narrator is interested in a woman who often crosses paths with him, but Lourain’s version works much better because he is naturally running into her, not outright stalking her as in the Alain-Fournier story.
This is quite the emotional little work, but in a subtle, quiet way with the words. But more importantly it is a work of art, both poetic and visually. This is an awesome little artwork, the kind that is fun just to pull out to show people but the contents of the work are worthwhile as well. While I was a bit lukewarm on it, I could definitely see this being a prized possession for the right person and I would definitely recommend giving this a read even if just to look at it and hold collaborative art in your hands.
3.5/5
I can see this book being a balm on the souls of those experiencing romantic heartbreak. Red is My Heart is a fascinating blend of prose, graphic arts and design about a broken heart hoping to mend brought to you by French author Antoine Laurain in collaboration with French street artist Le Sonneur and translated into English by Jane Aitken. Told through episodic vignettes with Le Sonneur’s art interspersed between pages, this is a visual achievement where even the prose is displayed in artistic designs and formats. Even the book itself, with the bright red and embossed wraparound cover that closes like a diary, has an interesting aesthetic design. This is a story of unrequited love, yes, but more importantly it is an exciting work of visual arts.
The visual aspect of this book is really quite lovely. I was particularly charmed by how Laurain writes Le Sonneur into the story, having come across one of the street artists pieces at a time when it truly affects him. ‘He puts up plaques, slips envelopes underneath doors or sticks fake doorbells underneath intercoms,’ he explains on Le Sonneur’s actual street art from his series Love Me (the design/culture magazine Cool Hunting ran a really intriguing article about this street art project that you can read here). He adds ‘His art does not last and serves no purpose. I could be friends with someone like that.’ I loved this, and felt an affinity with it as I too had cultivated a street art project leaving paintings with poems written on them on trees around my downtown. The ephemerality of it was something I enjoyed best, words left to the weather, but I also have had many people reach out to me and let me know a particular poem they found really spoke to them at the right time. I’ve heard of people who collected them and have them displayed in their homes, which is really cool (you can find the project on instagram at @poe_a_tree if you are interested). There’s something extra special about “found” art and Le Sonneur’s temporary art is striking enough to cause you to pause and consider it but also natural enough in its elements where it feels like childhood fantasies of discovering proof magic exists in the world. I love the inclusion of his art in this book and it is really cool Laurain collaborated with him.
Le Sonneurs own street art (above) appears in graphic form throughout the book
The art in the book is all black, white with hints of red and has visual motifs of locks and ladders to visually elaborate on the feelings of being shut out or hoping to climb out of despair. It is deceptively simple at times, or has a chaotic surrealistic quality that really charmed me. Meanwhile the prose is often written in various forms, or includes sections upside down or other cool formatting aesthetics. The interplay of the text and art creates something greater than the sum of its parts here, though neither is lacking without the other. The art is great, and the prose has a nice minimalist flair to it that almost rises out of the despair and moodiness weighing it down.
The story is simple, but almost deceptively so. It’s a fairly run-of-the-mill broken heart story feeling you’ve lost your path and not sure what to do next until suddenly someone else strikes your fancy, etc., et. al, that would have really struck a chord with me in my sad college days but just registers as melodramatic to me now. I think when you are going through similar feelings, however, this is probably a fantastic book for you but otherwise I’d rather reserve this sort of energy for listening to and supporting friends experiencing these heartbreaks. It’s definitely a “it’s not you its me” thing for being under-enthused about the story. I will say, however, that for the most part this book avoids the toxic sad boy stuff where they try to wear their weary ex-lover down to take them back or assume their shattered heart overrides giving the woman agency and space (something that I recognize now was really normalized in the turn of the century films and music of my youth, and is pretty problematic in practice). More on that in a moment, but this felt authentic without ever getting creepy and the narrator is able to respect the wishes of his lost love and let her get on with her life. A lot is kind of cute in a sad way, such as the narrator waiting at the airport on the day they were supposed to travel to New York together, just so he can hear their names called as a pair one last time when they don’t show up for the flight. If minor moments made large through emotion such as that is your thing, this will be your book.
That said, the framing of the story about Alain-Fournier’s unrequited “love” for Yvonne Toussaint de Quiévrecourt could be better. It tells of Alain-Fournier glimpsing her returning to her home and then going there every day to watch for her, finally catching her once leaving her home and telling her she is beautiful before following her onto a tram and following her into church. She tells him she is already to be married, and ‘offered a friendship he had no interest in.’ While I see this intended to be a story about him being so in love and hurt he would pen a single novel about her before dying in war, the framing of it as romantic is weird. I guess I’m just not sure if we should be viewing men following women home and about town as “loving them” when the only thing they know about her is her appearance. Particularly when he wouldn’t want a friendship with her if he couldn’t be with her. This feels less like loving someone in a healthy way and more like wanting to possess someone. I suppose the aim is showing the idea great art can come from great pain. This story is mirrored later when the narrator is interested in a woman who often crosses paths with him, but Lourain’s version works much better because he is naturally running into her, not outright stalking her as in the Alain-Fournier story.
This is quite the emotional little work, but in a subtle, quiet way with the words. But more importantly it is a work of art, both poetic and visually. This is an awesome little artwork, the kind that is fun just to pull out to show people but the contents of the work are worthwhile as well. While I was a bit lukewarm on it, I could definitely see this being a prized possession for the right person and I would definitely recommend giving this a read even if just to look at it and hold collaborative art in your hands.
3.5/5
April 24, 2022
Narrated by a broken-hearted man months after his love has left him, the prose, layout and Le Sonneur's illustrations form a perfect union.
At one point it seemed like he was going to stalk her:
Yesterday, I tapped in the entry code for your building. B7634. And I went in. I was certain you weren't there.
But
Everything had suddenly become hostile. The hall that I had crossed with you hundreds of times and which had always been so welcoming because it symbolised the start of an evening spent together, or a night, or an afternoon. Nothing in the decor had changed, but it was now a source of terror and the space also seemed to be afraid of me. Its deafening silence was a rejection.
And he left, and I was glad.
I'd always thought unrequited love was love that had never been returned but, because I wanted to be sure the narrator isn't an unreliable one, I looked into it and now I know better. Whether you've been together three or thirty years, when one person falls out of love and the other doesn't, for the one who hasn't it is indeed unrequited love.
Antoine Laurain's writing is lovely, poetic, at times playful. Le Sonneur, which translates to "The Ringer," is a versatile Parisian artist who is well known for, among other things, leaving love letters in people's doorbells. Le Sonneur's illustrations are also pointed, powerful and at times playful. And there's story. Though the book is short, it takes its time, is modulated. The narrator is sometimes bathetic, but never pathetic.
I am ready for anything.
I'm not ready for anything.
This book is beautiful.
At one point it seemed like he was going to stalk her:
Yesterday, I tapped in the entry code for your building. B7634. And I went in. I was certain you weren't there.
But
Everything had suddenly become hostile. The hall that I had crossed with you hundreds of times and which had always been so welcoming because it symbolised the start of an evening spent together, or a night, or an afternoon. Nothing in the decor had changed, but it was now a source of terror and the space also seemed to be afraid of me. Its deafening silence was a rejection.
And he left, and I was glad.
I'd always thought unrequited love was love that had never been returned but, because I wanted to be sure the narrator isn't an unreliable one, I looked into it and now I know better. Whether you've been together three or thirty years, when one person falls out of love and the other doesn't, for the one who hasn't it is indeed unrequited love.
Antoine Laurain's writing is lovely, poetic, at times playful. Le Sonneur, which translates to "The Ringer," is a versatile Parisian artist who is well known for, among other things, leaving love letters in people's doorbells. Le Sonneur's illustrations are also pointed, powerful and at times playful. And there's story. Though the book is short, it takes its time, is modulated. The narrator is sometimes bathetic, but never pathetic.
I am ready for anything.
I'm not ready for anything.
This book is beautiful.
January 6, 2022
An illustrated exploration of unrequited love.
Red Is My Heart is a deceptively simple book about love. There’s actually very little text, but what there is has been flawlessly translated by Jane Aitken so that there is a smoothly satisfying quality to reading it. The language is quite prosaic with jackets, coffee, airport tannoys, newspapers and magazines, for example, illustrating the impact of love. But that belies the depth of feeling in Antoine Laurain’s writing. Who knew that leaving a pen in a magazine from a waiting room could be such a cathartic moment in love’s journey?
Although the text is minimal, it is so well crafted and brilliantly physically presented that it enhances meaning and makes the reader even more engaged with the writing. The shape of the writing on the page – such as text about a 4 resembling a 4, or the layout representing stairs at the exit of the metro – provides a wry underpinning of meaning that I loved. The writer occasionally uses larger font as if convincing himself of what is said through emphasis. Some text is upside down or at a right angle so that the reader has to engage actively in reading, thereby experiencing some of the emotions more intensely. It’s as if the writer’s life has been literally turned upside down. Red Is My Heart has both poetic construction and prose, almost as if the writer wants to be a traditional tragic hero consumed by unrequited love but can’t quite hang on to that feeling completely. Towards the end of Red Is My Heart, images of keys and locks increase as if the author is finding out how to get through the locked grief of unrequited love so that there is a wry self-deprecating humour too. Alongside this humour, I loved the in joke of referencing the illustrator within the text.
Speaking of illustrations, they are startling, evocative and enhance the writing perfectly. I adored the sadness and loss represented by the black, the passion of love and a broken heart through the red, balanced by the white, demonstrating the invisibility the author feels in love, the sense of a fresh start and an opportunity for the reader to contemplate the text.
It’s actually difficult to articulate but Red Is My Heart somehow combines a a French passion for love with a typically Parisian nonchalance in a hugely entertaining blend. I think had the book been set anywhere else it would not have had the same impact.
Red Is My Heart is a beautifully written and dramatically illustrated book of lost love and desire. I found it hugely entertaining, witty and engaging. It’s a little cracker.
Red Is My Heart is a deceptively simple book about love. There’s actually very little text, but what there is has been flawlessly translated by Jane Aitken so that there is a smoothly satisfying quality to reading it. The language is quite prosaic with jackets, coffee, airport tannoys, newspapers and magazines, for example, illustrating the impact of love. But that belies the depth of feeling in Antoine Laurain’s writing. Who knew that leaving a pen in a magazine from a waiting room could be such a cathartic moment in love’s journey?
Although the text is minimal, it is so well crafted and brilliantly physically presented that it enhances meaning and makes the reader even more engaged with the writing. The shape of the writing on the page – such as text about a 4 resembling a 4, or the layout representing stairs at the exit of the metro – provides a wry underpinning of meaning that I loved. The writer occasionally uses larger font as if convincing himself of what is said through emphasis. Some text is upside down or at a right angle so that the reader has to engage actively in reading, thereby experiencing some of the emotions more intensely. It’s as if the writer’s life has been literally turned upside down. Red Is My Heart has both poetic construction and prose, almost as if the writer wants to be a traditional tragic hero consumed by unrequited love but can’t quite hang on to that feeling completely. Towards the end of Red Is My Heart, images of keys and locks increase as if the author is finding out how to get through the locked grief of unrequited love so that there is a wry self-deprecating humour too. Alongside this humour, I loved the in joke of referencing the illustrator within the text.
Speaking of illustrations, they are startling, evocative and enhance the writing perfectly. I adored the sadness and loss represented by the black, the passion of love and a broken heart through the red, balanced by the white, demonstrating the invisibility the author feels in love, the sense of a fresh start and an opportunity for the reader to contemplate the text.
It’s actually difficult to articulate but Red Is My Heart somehow combines a a French passion for love with a typically Parisian nonchalance in a hugely entertaining blend. I think had the book been set anywhere else it would not have had the same impact.
Red Is My Heart is a beautifully written and dramatically illustrated book of lost love and desire. I found it hugely entertaining, witty and engaging. It’s a little cracker.
February 16, 2022
Unrequited love!
January 17, 2022
VERDICT: If you want to begin 2022 with love and beauty, heart and art, run right away under the glow of Red is My Heart.
With nine books published in only fourteen years, Antoine Laurain is quite popular in France. I have read and enjoyed several of his books. They can feature quirkiness, mystery, or time travel elements. You never know what this French author is going to do next.
With Red is My Heart (Et mon cœur se serra in French, literally “And My Heart Sank”), readers are in for another major surprise.
Red is My Heart is indeed a unique book, the fruit of a very successful collaboration between Laurain and Le Sonneur, a famous French street artist known all over the world –he even exhibited in Japan and Dubai.
My full review is here:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/01/17/...
With nine books published in only fourteen years, Antoine Laurain is quite popular in France. I have read and enjoyed several of his books. They can feature quirkiness, mystery, or time travel elements. You never know what this French author is going to do next.
With Red is My Heart (Et mon cœur se serra in French, literally “And My Heart Sank”), readers are in for another major surprise.
Red is My Heart is indeed a unique book, the fruit of a very successful collaboration between Laurain and Le Sonneur, a famous French street artist known all over the world –he even exhibited in Japan and Dubai.
My full review is here:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/01/17/...
December 9, 2021
"Today I posted
you a letter, a very beautiful letter,
three carefully drafted pages written with a
medium-nib Cross fountain pen in black ink.
When I went to write your address on the envelope,
my hand trembled and I invented a new one.
An address that does not exist...
You will never read it."
That is a bit from the first page of text in this book. I say first page of text because there are also illustrations, too, a red keyhole with a closed eye, a page of black and red puzzle pieces, two birds on a wire under a red ball...
Do you get the idea? This book is relationships, loss, in text, in images (but only in red and white and black). It's even more surprising than what I would call the normally-surprising-Antoine Laurain, and that's delightful for me, exactly what I want from a book...truth...truth told vividly...truth told freshly.
It's hopeless, impossible to review. A picture book for grownups? Poetry? Neither? Both?
you a letter, a very beautiful letter,
three carefully drafted pages written with a
medium-nib Cross fountain pen in black ink.
When I went to write your address on the envelope,
my hand trembled and I invented a new one.
An address that does not exist...
You will never read it."
That is a bit from the first page of text in this book. I say first page of text because there are also illustrations, too, a red keyhole with a closed eye, a page of black and red puzzle pieces, two birds on a wire under a red ball...
Do you get the idea? This book is relationships, loss, in text, in images (but only in red and white and black). It's even more surprising than what I would call the normally-surprising-Antoine Laurain, and that's delightful for me, exactly what I want from a book...truth...truth told vividly...truth told freshly.
It's hopeless, impossible to review. A picture book for grownups? Poetry? Neither? Both?
December 23, 2023
Beautiful illustrations. Maybe someone going through a heartbreak would appreciate it even more. But nevertheless, it was a good quick read.
’his art does not last and serves no purpose. i could be friends with someone like that’
’of all we have loved nothing remains but the memory of a dream’
’you say you’re not responsible for the dagger. that it’s in the hands of destiny’
’i’m going with the flow. i feel as if i’m looking at the world through a keyhole and what i see scares me’
’his art does not last and serves no purpose. i could be friends with someone like that’
’of all we have loved nothing remains but the memory of a dream’
’you say you’re not responsible for the dagger. that it’s in the hands of destiny’
’i’m going with the flow. i feel as if i’m looking at the world through a keyhole and what i see scares me’
March 23, 2022
Nice, very short story about a man who is heart broken. The art is good, the words are nice, I enjoyed this quick quick read!
January 20, 2022
This is not typically my kind of book but I really enjoyed it a lot. The poems really told stories of love lost. You could feel the anguish. Each story really spoke to me in a profound way. There is not one story/poem that I could pick as my favorite as I loved them all. Every reader who reads this book will relate in at least one of these stories. They will stick with you long after you have finished this book.
The other piece of this book that really made it special are the drawings. Simple but so effective and beautiful. The illustrations are pieces of art. Even if each story was written with just one word; the illustrations/drawings would have still told the stories. You know something is very special when no words are needed to describe them as with Le Sonneur's drawings. This is a must read. Recommended book and my first five star read of 2022!
The other piece of this book that really made it special are the drawings. Simple but so effective and beautiful. The illustrations are pieces of art. Even if each story was written with just one word; the illustrations/drawings would have still told the stories. You know something is very special when no words are needed to describe them as with Le Sonneur's drawings. This is a must read. Recommended book and my first five star read of 2022!
November 22, 2021
I didn't realize till I finished Red is My Heart that it's not yet available in the US (I got an ARC from Meryl Zegarek Public Relations, thanks!) so I'm jumping the gun a bit, here, but I want to talk about it while it's fresh in my memory rather than wait till publication in January of 2022.
In collaboration with Parisian artist Le Sonneur, Antoine Laurain has written a short, heavily illustrated work about a man whose beloved has left him. The illustrations, in Le Sonneur's signature black, white, and red (I looked him up after reading the book so his style is new to me) are clearly symbolic of distance, heartbreak, longing, separation, and, finally, hope as the main character meets someone new.
I'm a fan of Antoine Laurain so I was ridiculously excited when this book showed up unsolicited in my mailbox; and, I was not disappointed. In fact, I really appreciated the combination of the simple storyline along with the accompanying illustrations but again, it was the author's sense of humor that made the book for me. I particularly liked the part where the main character muses that he was always wearing a particular gray jacket when they argued and then broke up so, clearly, he and the jacket could no longer be associated in any way.
I have currently got this book set to "e-book" but I have a physical copy. I just don't see an option for that, probably because it hasn't yet been released in the US. Red is My Heart is translated from the French.
In collaboration with Parisian artist Le Sonneur, Antoine Laurain has written a short, heavily illustrated work about a man whose beloved has left him. The illustrations, in Le Sonneur's signature black, white, and red (I looked him up after reading the book so his style is new to me) are clearly symbolic of distance, heartbreak, longing, separation, and, finally, hope as the main character meets someone new.
I'm a fan of Antoine Laurain so I was ridiculously excited when this book showed up unsolicited in my mailbox; and, I was not disappointed. In fact, I really appreciated the combination of the simple storyline along with the accompanying illustrations but again, it was the author's sense of humor that made the book for me. I particularly liked the part where the main character muses that he was always wearing a particular gray jacket when they argued and then broke up so, clearly, he and the jacket could no longer be associated in any way.
I have currently got this book set to "e-book" but I have a physical copy. I just don't see an option for that, probably because it hasn't yet been released in the US. Red is My Heart is translated from the French.
January 11, 2022
Quirky, witty and imaginative - full review to follow
December 24, 2021
The book is a series of anecdotal musings from a rejected lover who is grappling with feelings of heartbreak, rejection and loneliness and trying to find meaning in the mundane and the ordinary. The prose is simple but carries a lot of emotional weight and complemented with these playful illustrations that are drawn using only in colours of red, black and white.
This is a super quick read but you’ll want to take your time admiring the illustrations and savouring the prose. I found the musings interesting and in some ways relatable when trying to deal with a sense of loss and heartbreak and how to move forward. The illustrations are wonderful, drawing out the loss, separation but also a person’s strength and resilience to grow and move on.
This is a super quick read but you’ll want to take your time admiring the illustrations and savouring the prose. I found the musings interesting and in some ways relatable when trying to deal with a sense of loss and heartbreak and how to move forward. The illustrations are wonderful, drawing out the loss, separation but also a person’s strength and resilience to grow and move on.
November 3, 2023
Wow, this book.....
It's a super quick read, as half of it is images, and the other half is a lot of text, some of which is cleverly stylized into shapes on the page. My first read-through: what the hell is this? My second read-through: wow, so heartbreaking and poignant. The key to my understanding: the title. It took me a while to get it. 🤷🏻♀️
It's a super quick read, as half of it is images, and the other half is a lot of text, some of which is cleverly stylized into shapes on the page. My first read-through: what the hell is this? My second read-through: wow, so heartbreaking and poignant. The key to my understanding: the title. It took me a while to get it. 🤷🏻♀️
January 18, 2022
Poetic novella set in PARIS
You can always guarantee something different and exceptional from classic French author Antoine Laurain and in this short book he teams up with artist Le Sonneur.
Unrequited love – how do you express it, how can you convey the swirling emotions, the pain and the loss? The prose is interspersed with many drawings and prints, all in black and white, and very often with a touch of red (it’s like an intellectual Where’s Wally, spotting the sometimes larger, sometimes smaller red highlights). When there isn’t a red highlight, then things are low for the writer. Le Sonneur’s contributions are truly striking works of art.
The text is regular, then turns jagged, aligns to the right, turns upside down, changes size and inverts. The layout is a visual expression of the erratic nature of the loss of a relationship, the highs and lows and the longing. The writer sends a bouquet to someone long dead; driven by magical thinking he leaves behind and ‘loses’ a jacket that perhaps symbolised the break up. It brings to wonderful and poignant life the thought processes and actions of unrequited love, both poignant and whimsical. The power of the feelings comes through in the narrative of this novel, which is beautifully presented and bound in the review copy – which I imagine will translate into an excellent final copy to cherish – with a protective French flap that keeps the content bound and safe.The translation is excellent.
Antoine Laurain has been lauded for his novels, which include The President’s Hat and The Red Notebook. He captures the elemental feel of France and Paris in particular, with deft humour and a precise hand. I would suggest it is worth picking this up in book rather than digital form because of the quality of the item and detail of the images.
You can always guarantee something different and exceptional from classic French author Antoine Laurain and in this short book he teams up with artist Le Sonneur.
Unrequited love – how do you express it, how can you convey the swirling emotions, the pain and the loss? The prose is interspersed with many drawings and prints, all in black and white, and very often with a touch of red (it’s like an intellectual Where’s Wally, spotting the sometimes larger, sometimes smaller red highlights). When there isn’t a red highlight, then things are low for the writer. Le Sonneur’s contributions are truly striking works of art.
The text is regular, then turns jagged, aligns to the right, turns upside down, changes size and inverts. The layout is a visual expression of the erratic nature of the loss of a relationship, the highs and lows and the longing. The writer sends a bouquet to someone long dead; driven by magical thinking he leaves behind and ‘loses’ a jacket that perhaps symbolised the break up. It brings to wonderful and poignant life the thought processes and actions of unrequited love, both poignant and whimsical. The power of the feelings comes through in the narrative of this novel, which is beautifully presented and bound in the review copy – which I imagine will translate into an excellent final copy to cherish – with a protective French flap that keeps the content bound and safe.The translation is excellent.
Antoine Laurain has been lauded for his novels, which include The President’s Hat and The Red Notebook. He captures the elemental feel of France and Paris in particular, with deft humour and a precise hand. I would suggest it is worth picking this up in book rather than digital form because of the quality of the item and detail of the images.
January 28, 2022
I have read every one of Antoine Laurain’s books and loved them all…this is no exception. A very slim volume containing the musings—from despair and heartache to eventual anticipation and hope—of a rejected lover, combined with illustrations—done only in red, white, and black—by French street artist Le Sonneur. Quintessentially Laurain and quintessentially Parisian.
December 21, 2021
I cannot stress enough how much I love Antoine Laurain’s storytelling… The style, the substance, the concepts – everything about his books resonates with me. This latest, in which he teams up with the incomparable artist Le Sonneur, is another brilliant example of how he manages to encapsulate human emotion in a way no one else can.
The book is a tale told in anecdotes, by a man who has recently been left by his love. It takes the reader through his pain and loss in an almost every-day fashion, with stories that focus on the daily experience of loss and how senseless and tragic it feels when you are wrapped in it – like the world’s worst hairshirt blanket. It’s an incredibly moving series of vignettes and they are punctuated and brought to further life by the brilliant black/white/red line illustrations featured throughout the book.
The pairing of the two is a marvelous way to present the isolation and desolation the protagonist faces as he moves through the world on his own again, confronted at every turn by something no longer within his grasp. The writing is as moving as you’d expect from someone with the lyrical lovely style that Laurain embodies in all his books, and the art is a poignant point-counterpoint to the words. It’s a magnificent way to capture the spirit of loneliness we face when we find ourselves unexpectedly left alone in the world.
Thanks to the publisher and Meryl Zegarek Public Relations for my obligation-free review copy.
The book is a tale told in anecdotes, by a man who has recently been left by his love. It takes the reader through his pain and loss in an almost every-day fashion, with stories that focus on the daily experience of loss and how senseless and tragic it feels when you are wrapped in it – like the world’s worst hairshirt blanket. It’s an incredibly moving series of vignettes and they are punctuated and brought to further life by the brilliant black/white/red line illustrations featured throughout the book.
The pairing of the two is a marvelous way to present the isolation and desolation the protagonist faces as he moves through the world on his own again, confronted at every turn by something no longer within his grasp. The writing is as moving as you’d expect from someone with the lyrical lovely style that Laurain embodies in all his books, and the art is a poignant point-counterpoint to the words. It’s a magnificent way to capture the spirit of loneliness we face when we find ourselves unexpectedly left alone in the world.
Thanks to the publisher and Meryl Zegarek Public Relations for my obligation-free review copy.
January 15, 2022
❤️ The new illustrated novel from one of the world's most popular French authors. Combining the wry musings of a rejected lover with playful drawings in just three colours - red, black and white - bestselling author of The Red Notebook, Antoine Laurain, and renowned street artist Le Sonneur have created a striking addition to the literature of unrequited love ❤️
Red is my heart is a delightful little book. It's about a man looking back on a recent relationship that's just ended and how he's coping and dealing with that. I loved all the illustrations and the story. Thank you to Gallic books for this gifted copy. The finished copy, translated by Jane Aitken is published on 18th January 2022.
"I feel as if I am looking at the world through a keyhole and what I see scares me. Yet I must open the door"
Red is my heart is a delightful little book. It's about a man looking back on a recent relationship that's just ended and how he's coping and dealing with that. I loved all the illustrations and the story. Thank you to Gallic books for this gifted copy. The finished copy, translated by Jane Aitken is published on 18th January 2022.
"I feel as if I am looking at the world through a keyhole and what I see scares me. Yet I must open the door"
October 21, 2021
Here, one of France's more distinctive and popular writers goes greatly against form. Expect high indignation about people trying something different.
Me? Well, I've created two very different write-ups for this book, for different markets, and I still haven't pegged my thoughts on it down. They remain appreciative, but woolly - as you will see at:-
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/R...
Me? Well, I've created two very different write-ups for this book, for different markets, and I still haven't pegged my thoughts on it down. They remain appreciative, but woolly - as you will see at:-
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/R...
November 15, 2021
An illustrated, light romance, translated from the French. A broken heart advances toward healing when someone new comes along.
April 21, 2022
“I feel as if I am looking at the world through a keyhole and what I see scares me.”
Many people in Eastern Europe go currently through grief, an extreme level of anxiety, shock, pain, a feeling of loss.
For those who are able to read, maybe those removed historically from the current tragedy unfolding in Eastern Europe, and those souls who find solace in written words, I would recommend this very gentle book Red Is My Heart written by the French writer, Antoine Laurain accompanied by profoundly moving illustrations of a contemporary Parisian artist, Le Sonneur.
This book is a LOVE Letter of one broken-hearted soul to another soul who has recently left.
Reading Laurain’s words and contemplating Le Sonneur’s drawings, I interpreted it as a love letter to anything that we lose in life, not necessarily another person. This can refer to a group of people, community, small- and large-scale tragic event, loss of one’s identity, denial of one’s past, anything.
Red Is My Heart brought me a few short-lived moments of calmness.
There is this one passage that reflects some of the feelings I have had over the last two weeks:
“Since you’ve been gone, (…), I wake up every morning at precisely ten past four. I researched this phenomenon. It’s called ‘adjustment insomnia’. (…) It is said to stop when the casual factor is removed or the person adapts.(…). I do not see how your removal from my heart and mind is possible. So I do envisage waking at 4.10 a.m. for the rest of my life.”
Many people in Eastern Europe go currently through grief, an extreme level of anxiety, shock, pain, a feeling of loss.
For those who are able to read, maybe those removed historically from the current tragedy unfolding in Eastern Europe, and those souls who find solace in written words, I would recommend this very gentle book Red Is My Heart written by the French writer, Antoine Laurain accompanied by profoundly moving illustrations of a contemporary Parisian artist, Le Sonneur.
This book is a LOVE Letter of one broken-hearted soul to another soul who has recently left.
Reading Laurain’s words and contemplating Le Sonneur’s drawings, I interpreted it as a love letter to anything that we lose in life, not necessarily another person. This can refer to a group of people, community, small- and large-scale tragic event, loss of one’s identity, denial of one’s past, anything.
Red Is My Heart brought me a few short-lived moments of calmness.
There is this one passage that reflects some of the feelings I have had over the last two weeks:
“Since you’ve been gone, (…), I wake up every morning at precisely ten past four. I researched this phenomenon. It’s called ‘adjustment insomnia’. (…) It is said to stop when the casual factor is removed or the person adapts.(…). I do not see how your removal from my heart and mind is possible. So I do envisage waking at 4.10 a.m. for the rest of my life.”
February 27, 2022
Red Is My Heart introduces us to the forsaken, brokenhearted lover left behind. At the outset, he writes a letter to his lost love but makes up an address so it is forever undelivered. Her memory haunts him while he haunts the places they went together. He thinks of her constantly and at times, he approaches the line between brokenhearted obsession and creepy stalker territory. I mean, he does go to her apartment building while she is not there. That’s crossing a line.
The narrative is arranged like poetry around and juxtaposed with red, white, and black sketches by Le Sonneur who is described as the French Banksy. I think that’s a poor comparison as the pictures are far more poignant and emotionally rich.
The combination of Laurain’s words with Le Sonneur’s art is a powerful exploration of grief, loss, and acceptance. There is a thread of self-effacing humor and compassion that keeps the narrative from getting creepy and bitter. There is a synergy between the text and the art that creates something more meaningful and richer than the two constituent parts. The art is wonderful. The narrative is meaningful. Together there are subline.
I received an ARC of Red Is My Heart from the publisher.
Red Is My Heart at Gallic | Belgravia Books
Antoine Laurain bio
Le Sonneur website
My review of Antoine Laurain’s The Readers’ Room
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
The narrative is arranged like poetry around and juxtaposed with red, white, and black sketches by Le Sonneur who is described as the French Banksy. I think that’s a poor comparison as the pictures are far more poignant and emotionally rich.
The combination of Laurain’s words with Le Sonneur’s art is a powerful exploration of grief, loss, and acceptance. There is a thread of self-effacing humor and compassion that keeps the narrative from getting creepy and bitter. There is a synergy between the text and the art that creates something more meaningful and richer than the two constituent parts. The art is wonderful. The narrative is meaningful. Together there are subline.
I received an ARC of Red Is My Heart from the publisher.
Red Is My Heart at Gallic | Belgravia Books
Antoine Laurain bio
Le Sonneur website
My review of Antoine Laurain’s The Readers’ Room
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
October 15, 2022
How to mend a broken heart?
Red is My Heart by Antoine Laurain is a charming little book that delves deep into the vivid internal world of a rejected lover. The protagonist buys a new watch to reset his life and gets rid of the jacket that he wore every time the couple argued, just in case it was responsible. He even writes a love letter to the woman who left him and posts it to an imaginary address. There’s something empowering and cathartic in this act; that at least his feelings can be witnessed by the pen, the paper and the postal services!
This book is a poignant, earnest journey through heartbreak and readjustment. I love the accompanying illustrations in striking red, black and white by street artist Le Sonneur, which beautifully capture the gaping yearning of unreturned love and some tiny glimmers of hope. Thanks for the review copy Gallic Books
Red is My Heart by Antoine Laurain is a charming little book that delves deep into the vivid internal world of a rejected lover. The protagonist buys a new watch to reset his life and gets rid of the jacket that he wore every time the couple argued, just in case it was responsible. He even writes a love letter to the woman who left him and posts it to an imaginary address. There’s something empowering and cathartic in this act; that at least his feelings can be witnessed by the pen, the paper and the postal services!
This book is a poignant, earnest journey through heartbreak and readjustment. I love the accompanying illustrations in striking red, black and white by street artist Le Sonneur, which beautifully capture the gaping yearning of unreturned love and some tiny glimmers of hope. Thanks for the review copy Gallic Books
February 28, 2023
I discovered this gem while perusing my local bookstore and something about its simplistic red and black spine called out to me. The paperback packaging itself was different and cool but when I opened it to flip through its pages, I realized this was definitely a one of a kind book. It’s unique form really made the reading experience a great one! There’s vignettes and streams of consciousness written in a poetic way. It has beautiful corresponding illustrations as well. It’s centered around the aftermath of a heartbreak — feelings of confusion, loneliness, and the sheer ugliness of a broken heart trying to mend itself. I loved it, really.
May 31, 2022
Red Is My Heart is the most recent release from Antoine Laurain. I have now read all eight of his books.
This one is quite different from the others.
It’s more of an art/poetic work.
Even the packaging/cover is unique.
It’s full of many illustrations, all in black, white and often a bit of red.
The narrator is usually represented by negative space as if he’s been erased.
If I were to describe the book in my own words using a style similar to how it was written, it would be:
I
talk
to
you
but
you
don’t
hear
me
Because you left
This one is quite different from the others.
It’s more of an art/poetic work.
Even the packaging/cover is unique.
It’s full of many illustrations, all in black, white and often a bit of red.
The narrator is usually represented by negative space as if he’s been erased.
If I were to describe the book in my own words using a style similar to how it was written, it would be:
I
talk
to
you
but
you
don’t
hear
me
Because you left
January 16, 2023
Art & heartbreak, is there anything more beautiful?
‘I don’t even know what you said any more.
In fact, I have no recollection of anything you said.
All I remember is that I understood it was the end.
That you were leaving me.
That I would never see you again,
that we would never be seen together again’
‘I don’t even know what you said any more.
In fact, I have no recollection of anything you said.
All I remember is that I understood it was the end.
That you were leaving me.
That I would never see you again,
that we would never be seen together again’
April 14, 2022
I am a huge fan of Antoine Laurain. This is perhaps my least favourite of his books, it is distinctly different from the others, as it would be considering it is illustrated by Le Sonneur. That said it is beautiful but melancholy.
May 17, 2022
This a delightful littke book about unrequited love, and includes some very simple street art pictures. It is easy to read and in some ways portrays list love in both sad and funny ways. Totally recommend it.
May 28, 2022
if my cousin wasn’t an English major i wouldn’t have picked this up but im glad i did:) simple story with really nice illustrations. this translation is actually so good too. a comforting book when i needed it. 4 stars <3
November 8, 2022
Interesting collaboration, and I liked the ending. But this never really grabbed me. Mostly I just kept going because it was so short I felt like I might as well.
Disappointing, because I’ve really liked all of Laurain’s other books that I’ve read.
Disappointing, because I’ve really liked all of Laurain’s other books that I’ve read.
Read
March 20, 2022Incredible sad, the writer is in despair and trying not to think about his lost love, the pictures are a man trying to get to a goal but failing.
But he may habve found happiness again.
But he may habve found happiness again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews