Bruises on the Soul

In the novel “Bruises on the Soul” (1972), as in many of Françoise Sagan’s novels, the story is about love—fragile, hesitant, fleeting. Staying true to herself, Sagan leads her characters into a labyrinth of tangled relationships: strange people swirl around Sébastien and Éléonore, trying to penetrate the secrets of the brother and sister—while they, refined, restrained, and ironic, with laughter slip away, because they are treacherous—meaning, as the poet puts it, “true to themselves”… Françoise Sagan, who herself often avoided burdensome life obligations, creates this double self-portrait and, with zest, argues with her admirers and critics—never forgetting to glance at how her heroes’ odyssey will end.