Tata - by Valérie Perrin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A July 2026 Indie Next Pick

What happens when the person you thought you knew your whole life has a completely unknown past?

Valérie Perrin's first new novel since her breakout bestseller Fresh Water for Flowers is a compelling story about a woman determined to carve her own destiny.

Agnes learns that her beloved aunt Colette, her Tata, has died--three years after she was presumed dead. When Agnes returns home to the small country town of Gueugnon, she discovers the cassettes her aunt left behind and learns that Colette's life was far more complex and intricate than she could have ever imagined.

What begins as a riveting whydunit turns into a multigenerational family saga about trauma and forgiveness, resilience and reinvention, and the sacrifices made to live a life in full color.

★ "A bewitching novel about found family and the transformative power of love."--Foreword Reviews (starred)

Review Quotes

Praise for Tata and Valérie Perrin

"Valérie Perrin is a prodigious storyteller."--Elle  

"Tata is Perrin's most ambitious, most intimate, most liberating, most important book yet."--Le Parisien 

★ "An exquisitely layered story... Reading Tata is like reading several great novels at once."--BookPage (starred)

★ "A bewitching novel about found family and the transformative power of love... Perrin has a gift for excavating enchantments from the everyday... Villains lurk [...] but among the magnificent pages of Tata, love--among friends, family members, and parents by proxy--proves more lasting"--Foreword Reviews (starred review)

★ "An exquisitely layered story that chronicles the lives of Agnès Dugain and her aunt, Colette Septembre.... To be alive is to experience sadness, Perrin reminds us. Thanks to the richness of its parallel stories and its excellent variety of characters, reading Tata is like reading several great novels at once."--BookPage (starred review)

"The epic saga satisfies, and Perrin juggles the myriad plotlines with élan while maintaining suspense. It's a gripping story about the power of friendship as a safe harbor from abusive families."--Publishers Weekly

"The ambitious scope of the novel, featuring a wealth of beautifully drawn-out characters, provides the perfect immersive read."--Buzz Magazine

"Encompassing themes of violence, revenge, and sanity, Perrin's beautiful novel is highly recommended for readers who enjoy stories of family secrets and complicated lives."--Library Journal

"A complex tale of family love, depraved jealousy, triumph and failure in all aspects of human life including remarkable love and loyalty. A fully realized story of lives informed by art and music."--Reading the West

"A fascinating character study that doubles as an elegant mystery."--CrimeReads

"Tata is a long novel that reads fast.... Perrin is a master of surprise who allows fascinating stories within stories to emerge."--Frenchly

"Twisting through a singular family epic, Tata positions one woman within eternity. Through her searching, we realize the unknowable depth of a human life, the gentle ways cycles of abuse might end, and how the art of storytelling keeps us alive."--Asymptote Journal

"Tata is Perrin's most ambitious, most intimate, most liberating, most important novel yet."--Le Parisien

"Perrin is a prodigious storyteller."--Elle

"Elements of danger and suspense add richness to this stirring family saga, brimming with secrets and musings about the role of art in our lives."--Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club

"With her undeniable talent for narrative, Perrin enchants the reader in this choral novel where the lives of many characters intertwine to form an intricate and compelling puzzle."--Corriere della Sera

"This mesmerizing novel travels through time, space and persona to reveal the meaning of 'family, ' how the power of love and sacrifice balance against the longevity of hatred and revenge."--Lavender

"A moving story that is somewhere between a thriller and a social novel."--Le Figaro

"Valérie Perrin has given us an intricately structured novel, rich in emotion and important existential questions."--Le Journal de Montréal

"Fresh Water for Flowers is a beautiful, intensely atmospheric bittersweet dream of a book."--Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library

"Fresh Water for Flowers is an extremely well-written book that was frankly difficult to put down."--San Francisco Book Review

"Melancholic and yet ebullient. . . Fresh Water for Flowers is an appealing indulgence in nature, food and drink, and, above all, friendships."--The Guardian