A Girl's Memory

“Girl’s Memory” is an autobiographical novel by the contemporary French writer Annie Ernaux. The writer returns to 1958 and recalls her first sexual experience with a man, which led to the loss of her “self,” depression, and shame. Exploring the entanglements of desire and shame, the gray zone between consent and violence, she travels through the past and tries to give it meaning. Writing becomes the key to her experiences and gives form to feelings for which, for many years, there was no expression. The image of “the girl from 58” serves as a kind of guide into the identity of the adult writer, inviting readers to reflect on their own experience of growing up and closeness. Ernaux herself calls “Girl’s Memory” one of her most important novels.