Nothing Serious

One of the edgiest and most innovative novels to come out of Europe in years-not to mention one of the most scandalous and successful-this thinly veiled "roman-a-clef is about the daughter of one of Europe's most famous writers as she navigates life after the collapse of her marriage. It is a penetrating, sometimes funny, sometimes enraged look at pain in the limelight, where a glamorous, privileged world offers no protection for shattered heroine Louise. Deserted by her famous husband-the man she has loved since they were children-when he falls for a model-turned-rock star, she is unmoored in a world that suddenly has no meaning for her. And as her life implodes, one misfortune seems to follow another-her grandmother dies, her mother develops cancer, and there is always the question: Why did Adrien leave? Based on some of Europe's most glamorous real-life stars-including Bernard-Henri Levy and Carla Bruni, Mick Jagger's ex-Justine Levy captures the world of the "beautiful people" with lacerating relish, as well as humor and a wonderfully poetic eye for detail. In the end, narrator Louise spares no one-and especially not herself-from her ruthless and ultimately energizing honesty. "Nothing Serious is a stylish work of blazing intelligence and won universal praise from critics upon its release in Europe, selling over 200,000 copies.