The Islanders: Shocking, hilarious and poignant noir

Book excerpt: In The Islanders, from the 'slyly funny' [Sunday Times] Pascal Garnier, a dinner party spirals out of control after the revealing of dark secrets. 'Bleak, often funny and never predictable' The Observer It's a few days before Christmas in Versailles. Olivier has come to bury his mother, but the impending holidays and icy conditions have delayed the funeral. While trapped in limbo at his mother's flat, a chance encounter brings Olivier back in touch with childhood friend Jeanne and her blind brother, Rodolphe. Rodolphe suggests they have dinner together, along with a homeless man he's taken in. As the wine flows, dark secrets are spilled, and there's more than just hangovers to deal with the next morning...