On Tuesday, June 9, the Albertine Book club will discuss the novel Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated from the French by Helen Stevenson and published by Mariner.

In November 2021, an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsized in the English Channel, causing the deaths of 27 people on board.

Despite receiving numerous calls for help, the French authorities wrongly told the migrants they were in British waters and had to call the British authorities for help. By the time rescue vessels arrived on the scene, nearly three hours later, all but two of the migrants had died, the worst single loss of life ever to occur in the Channel.

Vincent Delecroix’s acclaimed Small Boat is a fictional first-person account of the French navy officer who took the migrants’ calls—and her attempts to justify the indefensible. Accused of failing in her duty, she refuses to be held more responsible than others for this disaster, than the crises behind these tragedies. What unfolds is a gripping, thought-provoking examination of the darkest threat to our humanity.

Albertine members will receive an invitation by email.

Moderated by the Albertine staff, the Albertine book club is open to Albertine members only. Members are free to speak in English or in French, but a strong command of the French language is recommended to attend. For more information on how to become an Albertine member click here.