UN ETE CONTRAIRE / A CONTRARY SUMMER – Pauline Vetter

Information

Author:

Pauline Vetter

Date:

Asphalte
August 2025

Author:

Additional Info

A CONTRARY SUMMER

Rights Holder: Asphalte
Original Language: French

“By managing to anchor a simple but intriguing story in a sometimes heavy atmosphere, Pauline Vetter subtly invites us to question the passing of time and its effects on our friendships.” — Livres Hebdo

Lio is reunited with Tim, Joan, and Régis for what should be another carefree summer on the Atlantic coast. As in years past, they settle into their bubble of beach days, warm beers, and endless conversations about life and the future. But this time, something is different. The glances linger a little longer, the silences grow heavier, and the underlying tensions are harder to ignore.

Beneath the surface of their youthful freedom, desires collide, unspoken resentments fester, and the fragile balance of their friendship begins to unravel. One night of drinking and confession shatters their illusions—and each of them must face truths they’d rather avoid.

Un été contraire is a raw and tender coming-of-age story about a friendship cracking under the weight of secrets, a summer that marks the end of innocence, and that fragile moment when you step out of adolescence not yet knowing where you’re headed. A melancholic, emotionally resonant novel that captures the beauty and pain of growing up.

Pauline Vetter was born in Strasbourg in 1997 and grew up in the Alsatian countryside. Graduating in 2020 with a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Le Havre and the École Supérieure d'Art et Design du Havre, she went on to create the literary podcast "Papier Bulle." She now lives near Bordeaux. Un été contraire is her first novel.

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