Le coeur d’une autre, de Tatiana de Rosnay ou le récit d’une quête identitaire

Abstract

Tatiana de Rosnay, one of the most read contemporary French writers in Europe, specialises in the art of telling stories whose characters love rummaging through their own pasts, revealing family secrets, and digging into the hidden reality of yesteryear, i.e., other lives. From these foundations, Rosnay builds the psychology of characters who are always looking for their self-identity. In Le coeur d’une autre, an “obstructive heart disease” will be the key to changing Bruce Boutard’s sad humdrum life. His heart transplant will be the starting point for a new life and will transform his personality. Our objective here is to follow Bruce’s initiatory, mysterious, and exciting journey, and to review the different steps of this search for identity. Furthermore, we remark on the style of a writer who makes the reader wonder about Bruce’s life, share feelings with Bruce as he discovers new clues about his donor, and take part in the transformation that he experiences, which is influenced by the Mediterranean culture, the Tuscan landscape, and Renaissance paintings.