Delphine de Vigan

Precocious thirteen-year-old Lou meets a homeless eighteen-year-old girl on the streets of Paris and Lou's life is forever changed.

No and Me

Sarah Sammis

No and Me is the first Delphine de Vigan to be translated into English from French. Lou is a highly intelligent but somewhat broken Parisian teenager. Her whole family is still reeling from the death of her infant sister some years prior.

Prompted by a homework assignment, Lou begins a friendship with a homeless girl named No. Things start slowly with drinks at a cafe to later No being invited into the home.

At the point that No is invited home and begins to thrive under the family's care I began to see parallels with Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.

Just as the homeless lady in The Dancing Pancake (link) by Eileen Spinelli ultimately needs something other than the help Bindi offers, No slowly slides back into her old ways. In No's case the problems seem to stem from a faulty social services system and a lack of a good family foundation. The reasons are of course complex and heart breaking but Lou and her family do grow from the experience.

Laura

Lou möchte die Obdachlose No retten und damit zeigen, dass die Dinge eben nicht so sind, wie sie sind.
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Lou Bertignac has an IQ of 160 and a good friend called Lucas, who gets her through the school day. At home her father cries in secret in the bathroom and her mother hasn't been out of the house properly for years. But Lou is about to change her life - and that of her parents - for good, all because of a school project she decides to do about the homeless. Through the project Lou meets No, a teenage girl living on the streets. As their friendship grows, Lou cannot bear that No is still on the streets when she goes back home - even if it is to a home that is saddened and desolate. So she asks her parents if No can come to live with them. To her astonishment, her parents - eventually - agree. No's presence forces Lou and her parents to finally face the sadness that has enveloped them. But No has disruptive as well as positive effects. Can this shaky newfound family continue to live together? A tense, brilliant novel tackling the true meaning of home and homelessness.

Jessica Nottingham

Lou Bertignac comes up with a project on homelessness simply to appease her teacher. She doesn't want to do a presentation. In fact she hates being in front of a group. Who was she to know that this decision would affect the entire rest of her life?

Lou meets No at a train station and they begin a very tentative relationship with one another. No is 18 years old, five years older than Lou, and is a part of the homeless community. As their relationship progresses into more of a friendship, each girl is given a glimpse at the other's life through what they share with one another.

What I really enjoyed about this story was Lou, the main character. Lou was a sweet, intelligent and socially awkward girl when the story began and it kind of reminded me of myself at her age. Shying away from the boys, keeping to herself, making sure she stayed off the radar to keep others from talking about her. I really loved Lou's character. As Lou progresses through the book, her eyes are opened by No's predicament. No becomes less of a project to Lou, and more of a mission. It is endearing to see the need that buds between these two. They become part of one another. 

Unfortunately I can't elaborate too much more without spoiling the story, but I will say that this book is worth a read. If you are worried that you might not enjoy this book, I can say that is a fairly short read. Give it a try, you might love it!

Caroline Oestergaard

Marta Costa 🐰

Nathalie Zb

Lou Bertignac has an IQ of 160 and a good friend in class rebel Lucas. At home her father puts a brave face on things but cries in secret in the bathroom, while her mother rarely speaks and hardly ever leaves the house. To escape this desolate world, Lou goes often to Gare d'Austerlitz to see the big emotions in the smiles and tears of arrival and departure. But there she also sees the homeless, meets a girl called No, only a few years older than herself, and decides to make homelessness the topic of her class presentation. Bit by bit, Lou and No become friends until, the project over, No disappears. Heartbroken, Lou asks her parents the unaskable question and her parents say- Yes, No can come to live with them. So Lou goes down into the underworld of Paris's street people to bring her friend up to the light of a home and family life, she thinks.

No and Me

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