Scaffolding

In Scaffolding, Lauren Elkin's stunning debut novel, we are immersed in the intertwined lives of two couples living in the same Parisian apartment, fifty years apart. Their stories reflect the complexities of marriage, fidelity, and the human endeavour to heal and connect across time.

In 2019, Anna, a psychoanalyst, is struggling to cope with a recent miscarriage. Her husband, David, has just taken a job in London, leaving Anna alone with her grief. She throws herself into renovating their kitchen and finds solace in her friendship with a younger neighbour, Clementine. Clementine is part of a radical feminist collective called les colleuses, which further draws Anna into a new world of activism and empowerment.

Conversely, in 1972, we meet Florence and Henry, who are also engaged in the process of redoing their kitchen. Florence, finishing her degree in psychology, is eager to start a family, but faces Henry's ambivalence about fatherhood. Their journey through domestic life challenges their relationship and individual aspirations.

Without realising it, both couples navigate their lives unaware of the silent echoes and communal memories embedded within their shared living space. The novel gracefully shifts between these eras, portraying how the characters and their 'ghosts' brush past one another, unknowingly connected through the very walls that anchor their stories.

Written with the finesse reminiscent of Éric Rohmer, Scaffolding illuminates the intricate bonds we form with others and the challenge of ever truly severing them. It delves into the enduring presence of those we've known and how they continue to live on within us. Additionally, the narrative examines how our homes encapsulate shared histories, holding remnants of the lives and tales that have previously unfolded there.

The Observer lauds the book as "atmospheric and evocative," with prose that is "elegant and poised." Lauren Elkin, acclaimed essayist, reviewer, and cultural critic, seamlessly transitions her prowess to the realm of fiction, creating a narrative that is both engaging and profoundly insightful. Scaffolding is an exploration of personal and communal memory, connection, and the perpetual reconstruction of our identities.