Tata - by Valérie Perrin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

July 2026 Indie Next Pick
Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated Book

Valérie Perrin's First New Novel since her breakout bestseller Fresh Water for Flowers

"Valérie Perrin is a prodigious storyteller."--Elle 

"Tata is Perrin's most ambitious, most intimate, most liberating, most important book yet."--Le Parisien

When Agnes hears from the local police her Aunt Colette has died, she can't believe her ears.  Her father's sister Colette, her Tata, died three years ago and has been resting in peace in the cemetery of Gueugnon.

Agnes is called to identify the body: there is no doubt, it's Aunt Colette. But then, who rests under the stone engraved with Colette's name? And why did she fake her own death? So begins an investigation back in time, as Agnes pieces together the multitude of stories that lie behind her aunt's second death.      

An intricate, compelling web of stories told with irony, delicacy and depth, Tata will keep readers glued to every page.

★ "A bewitching novel about found family and the transformative power of love."--Foreword Reviews (starred)

Review Quotes

Praise for Tata and Valérie Perrin

★ "A bewitching novel about found family and the transformative power of love... Perrin has a gift for excavating enchantments from the everyday... Villains lurk [...] but among the magnificent pages of Tata, love--among friends, family members, and parents by proxy--proves more lasting"--Foreword Reviews (starred review)

"The epic saga satisfies, and Perrin juggles the myriad plotlines with élan while maintaining suspense. It's a gripping story about the power of friendship as a safe harbor from abusive families."--Publishers Weekly

"Encompassing themes of violence, revenge, and sanity, Perrin's beautiful novel is highly recommended for readers who enjoy stories of family secrets and complicated lives."--Library Journal

"A complex tale of family love, depraved jealousy, triumph and failure in all aspects of human life including remarkable love and loyalty. A fully realized story of lives informed by art and music."--Reading the West

"Tata is Perrin's most ambitious, most intimate, most liberating, most important novel yet."--Le Parisien

"Perrin is a prodigious storyteller."--Elle

"With her undeniable talent for narrative, Perrin enchants the reader in this choral novel where the lives of many characters intertwine to form an intricate and compelling puzzle."--Corriere della Sera

"A moving story that is somewhere between a thriller and a social novel."--Le Figaro

"Valérie Perrin has given us an intricately structured novel, rich in emotion and important existential questions."--Le Journal de Montréal

"Fresh Water for Flowers is a beautiful, intensely atmospheric bittersweet dream of a book."--Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library

"Fresh Water for Flowers is an extremely well-written book that was frankly difficult to put down."--San Francisco Book Review

"Melancholic and yet ebullient. . . Fresh Water for Flowers is an appealing indulgence in nature, food and drink, and, above all, friendships."--The Guardian