Elephant in a Room. Agatha Christie and the Family

Original title: La vérité tue. Agatha Christie et la famille

Publication Date:

March 2021

Pages:

256

Original language and publisher

Territories Handled

Worldwide excl. French

Genres

Essay, Narrative Non-Fiction

Elephant in a Room. Agatha Christie and the Family

Original title: La vérité tue. Agatha Christie et la famille

Synopsis

“A fascinating essay that makes you shiver when you read it, but also smile.” — Alix, Girod de l’Ain, ELLE

“A book that does well to our intelligence.” — Ali Rebeihi, France Inter

“A thought-provoking thesis…” — Macha Séry, Le Monde

“Feertchak’s preface is fascinating. A captivating work.” — Alexandra Schwartzbrod, LIBÉRATION

“A brilliant essay that makes you want to (re)read Agatha Christie!” — Julie Malaure, Le Point

“Sonia Feertchak’s book is truly remarkable (…) absolutely thrilling.” Cristilla Pellé-Douël, Psychologies Magazine, France Inter

“A stimulating essay. A thorough analysis.” — Yoann Labroux-Satabin, La Vie

A cross-disciplinary essay that, by offering an ultra-modern reading of Agatha Christie’s work, sheds light on the taboo of family malice and the family’s relationship to silence and truth.

Of the 66 mystery novels written by Agatha Christie, more than 50 are domestic crimes. Murder is a smokescreen; the real subject of the work is the banality of evil at the heart of the family.

Malice, jealousy, humiliation, incest… the uniqueness of family evil lies, even today, in its invisibility: those who do it hide, those around them see nothing, the victim remains silent.

The truth is kept quiet for fear that it might kill. But the discovery of the body, in Christie’s novels, forces the relatives to admit that there is indeed a problem. The truth can no longer be kept quiet.

Marketing Information

  • Shows how Christie anticipated #MeToo
  • 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s death
  • Originally published 2021, the centenary of the publication of Agatha Christie’s first novel