The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
Might contain spoilers.
A lovely, sweet book—decidedly French and decidedly literary—with an unfortunate, morbid inciting incident. Of course, there’s never any fear that the brutal blunt-force trauma will have lasting consequences: it’s merely a means of setting Laure aside while Laurent attempts to discern her identity.
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a gilder as a protagonist in a story before. I suppose that neatly solves the problem of how to involve both protagonists in the publishing industry without giving them both common professions.
The wonderful ending makes the story, and the brief anecdotes about what the various authors are doing at that moment are delightful.