Lucas Andrieu
Thomas's adult son, whose resemblance to his father brings Philippe's preserved memory into the present.
To understand the parts of his father's life that Thomas never shared with him.
The book
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeLucas is a young adult whose face immediately recalls Thomas to Philippe. His more open, searching manner distinguishes him from the father he resembles.
He wants to understand a father whose silences and death left unanswered questions. His knowledge of adult Thomas meets Philippe's knowledge of the boy Thomas once was.
How the book draws them
- ResemblanceHis eyes and facial structure strongly echo Thomas.
- DifferenceHis expression is more open and searching than his father's.
- GenerationContemporary clothing places him firmly in Philippe's adult present.
- RoleHe connects two incomplete versions of Thomas.
- QuestioningHe approaches Philippe with wounds and questions of his own.
- Emotional positionHe is Thomas's son, not merely a device for Philippe's closure.
Lucas tells Philippe that Thomas married, became a father, and died by suicide. He leaves their meeting with a fuller but still incomplete understanding.
If you like Lie with Me
If you like Philippe Besson
Explore authors with a similar voice, perspective, and influence.
Simone de Beauvoir
French writer and philosopher whose novels, memoirs, and social analysis examined freedom, gender, responsibility, aging, and the material conditions that shape a life.
View author
Henry Miller
The Brooklyn dropout who arrived in Paris broke at thirty-eight and wrote the exuberant, banned books that ended American censorship.
View author
Charles Bukowski
American poet and novelist of Los Angeles rooming houses, racetracks and the post office, who quit his job to write when a publisher offered him a hundred dollars a month. He came to Paris once, in September 1978, drank his way through a live television book programme and walked off the set — and French television has been replaying it ever since.
View author