Les gens s'en foutent, de la vérité. Ce qui compte, c'est ce qu'ils croient. La vérité, ils écrivent par-dessus. Ils la font disparaître à force de fictions, de récits. Ils vivent de ça, de ce qu'ils se racontent. Leur vie is a palimpsest. In use d'aller voir lingerie. Nous other psys, nous pretendons à la vérité. N'imports quoi. L'HP, c'est tout le contraire: c'est pour se protector de la vérité.
Camille Laurens, Celle que vous croyez.
People don't care about the truth. What matters is what they believe. They overwrite the truth. They make it disappear through fiction and narratives. They live off what they tell themselves. Their lives are a palimpsest. It's pointless to search beneath it. We other therapists lay claim to truth. Whatever it may be. HP is the exact opposite: it's about protecting oneself from the truth.
Camille Laurens' novel Your promise Drawing on her experience in autofiction, the author unfolds a gripping story of love, betrayal, and toxic dependencies. The novel not only depicts a passionate relationship but also dissects the dynamics of power and manipulation, ultimately offering a reflection on creative power. At the heart of the story are Claire, a celebrated writer, and the charismatic Gilles. Gilles increasingly reveals himself to be a manipulative narcissist who emotionally isolates and wears Claire down.
A promise, by definition, is an act that connects the future and the present. It creates a bond—be it between two people, between a narrator and their story, or between a work and its readers. The narrative begins with a reflection on the nature of promises and their implications within interpersonal relationships. Already in the prologue and the first few chapters, it becomes clear that the promise has a dual meaning: it is both a declaration and a potential trap that draws the protagonist, Claire, into a conflict between her personal happiness and her artistic integrity. This escalation culminates in a courtroom drama, which Laurens unfolds with the precision of a thriller writer. A distinctive feature of the novel is its skillful narrative structure, which operates on multiple levels. The chronology of events is disrupted by flashbacks and shifts in perspective, which not only generates suspense but also reveals the psychological depth of the characters. Claire's narrative is complemented by the voices of her friends, who appear as witnesses in court, and the multi-perspective presentation gives the reader insight into the subtle mechanisms of Gilles' power game. Christophe Henning writes: "Everyone envies this couple, swept away by desire and mad love. But the turmoil of their emotions will lead them to deadly violence." 1 Your promise The novel explores the dynamics of abuse and emotional manipulation, a subject frequently addressed in literature at a time of increasing awareness of psychological violence. Gilles' behavior reflects the mechanisms of so-called "gaslighting," which Laurens subtly alludes to and explicitly references to the classic film. Gaslight Illustrated by George Cukor.
—Evidemment qu'il l'a fait exprès, dit Carole. C'est bien caché et on ne peut rien prouver mais tout-est-fait-ex-près. Everything is calculated, absolutely everything, à commencer par la date. La Saint-Valentin, the anniversary of the death of Tristan, and the world of the spectacle of dance that Claire appréhendait tant! Il a bien charge la barque pour la couler! C'est a connard fini, point barre, comme il dit. The pire espèce de salaud. Même the phrase pansement is découpée pour ne rien panser. Contrary to this, it is possible to arrange the chair. « Je t'aime, je te respecte, je t'admire. “Il manque “je te desire”. Il le sait très bien. Il said qu'elle va le remarkquer, qu'elle va en souffrir. Il l'écorche à chaque mot. Il distille son poison dans all interstices de la conversation, l'air de rien. Il ment, il gaslighte… Tout est fait pour l'affaiblir, la vider de sa… — Il gasquoi ? — Il gaslighte. C'est un mot très courant, Maître, y compris dans les tribunaux. Aux États-Unis et ailleurs. Renseignez-vous, ça peut vous servir. Emprunté au film de Cukor, Gaslight, with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. Il faut que vous le voyiez. Le gaslighting, this is the art of rendre l'autre fou, folle surtout, en lui embrouillant l'esprit par des messages contradictoires. C'est détruire l'autre par le langage. Pour une écrivaine, qu'y at-il de pire ? Voilà ce que vous devez plaider, Maître: la violence psychologique, l'emprise perverse. Et dès le début, malgré les apparences d'idylle. Pensez à la promesse: il demande à une écrivaine dont toute l'œuvre repose sur le récit de soi, qui est connue et reconnue pour cela, il lui fait jurer de ne jamais écrire sur lui! Autant dire: ne plus jamais écrire. Se mettre au macramé! D'ailleurs, pourquoi la promesse est-elle negative ? « Promets-moi de ne pas… » Source censure au cœur du serment! La promesse en est gauchie, dévitalisée, elle perd tout son potentiel d'avenir, d'engagement heureux, elle devient une restriction, une privation: une négation de l'autre dans ce qu'elle a de plus cher, de plus intimate, dans l'une de ses plus profondes raisons d'être. This is proof that Claire responds to the same thing, in another negative light. « Promets-moi de ne pas me trahir. » Elle a perçu la trahison which constitutes the promesse exigée d'elle. Elle était déjà trahie, à ce moment-là. Trahie au plus profond d'elle-même. Par ce batard. Qu'il crève!
Camille Laurens, Ta promesse.
“Of course he did it on purpose,” Carole says. “It’s well hidden and you can’t prove it, but it’s all gut feeling. Everything is calculated, absolutely everything, starting with the date. Valentine’s Day, the day Tristan died, and the day before the dance performance Claire was so dreading! He loaded the boat to sink it! He’s a complete asshole, and that’s that, as he says. The worst kind of bastard. Even the sentence about the bandage is dissected to soothe nothing. On the contrary, it’s meant to tear the flesh away. ‘I love you, I respect you, I admire you.’ It’s missing ‘I desire you.’ He knows this perfectly well. He knows she’ll notice, that she’ll suffer. He’s peeling her skin with every word. He’s distilling his poison into every crevice of the conversation without saying a word. He’s lying, he’s gaslighting.” Everything is being done to weaken them, to suck them dry…“ “He gas- what?” – “He gaslights. That’s a very common word, Mr. Lawyer, even in the courts. In the United States and elsewhere. Look it up; it might be useful to you. Borrowed from Cukor’s film Gaslight, with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. You absolutely must see it. Gaslighting is the art of driving someone crazy, crazy above all by confusing their mind with contradictory messages. It means destroying the other person through language. What could be worse for a writer? That's what you must plead, Mr. Lawyer: psychological violence, perverse manipulation. And from the very beginning, despite the appearance of an idyllic scene. Think of the promise: he asks a writer whose entire oeuvre is based on autofiction, a writer known and acclaimed for it, to swear never to write about him! You might as well say: never write again. Starting with macramé! Why is the promise negative, by the way? "Promise me you won't…". What censorship at the heart of the oath! The promise is thereby distorted, weakened, it loses all its potential for the future, for a happy commitment; it becomes a restriction, a deprivation: a negation of the other in what they cherish most, what is most intimate to them, in one of their deepest reasons for being. This is, of course, why Claire responded in the same way, with yet another negation. "Promise me you won't betray me." She recognized the betrayal that the promise demanded of her represented. She had already been betrayed at that moment. Betrayed to her very core. By that bastard. He should die!
The initial love story sometimes feels clichéd, and the protagonist Claire appears less complex in the early chapters than in later developments. This "bland" first part, as described in Didier Jacob's review, forms a comparatively fragile foundation for the later emotional intensity. 2 Apart from that, Your promise A work that captivates and resonates with its narrative sophistication. Laurens speaks of the novel's structure and rhythm as crucial elements of her writing. The narrative alternates between moments of tranquility and intense scenes that accelerate the pace. This stylistic diversity encompasses poetic passages in free verse, vibrant dialogues, and moments inspired by thrillers. Camille Laurens demonstrates that she is one of the leading voices in contemporary literature; her novel is a profound reflection on power dynamics in interpersonal relationships and the transformative power of literature.
In the French literary scene, Camille Laurens (pseudonym of Laurence Ruel) is an influential woman, for example with her regular reviews in Le MondeSince 2020, she has held the seventh seat at the Académie Goncourt, a position previously held for four years each by Virginie Despentes and Régis Debray, and before that for 39 years by Michel Tournier. She has also not shied away from scandals, including a plagiarism lawsuit against Marie Darrieussecq and her novel. Tom is dead (2007): Laurens accused Darrieussecq of using ideas and motifs from Laurens' own novel in her book. Philippe (1995) to have appropriated the work without proper attribution, not as plagiarism in the legal sense, but as an ethical violation. Both novels deal with the loss of a child and the associated traumatic experiences of a mother. The debate was intense, but ultimately rather damaging for both authors. Furthermore, during her time as a juror at the Académie Goncourt, Laurens wrote a scathing review of the novel. Postcard by Anne Berest, who was nominated for the Goncourt Prize in 2021, as was the book Les Enfants de Cadillac by Laurens' partner, François Noudelmann. Although Laurens remained a member of the jury, the scandal cast a shadow over the decision-making processes of the prestigious literary prize. Comparatively few of the author's books have been translated into German, and these translations may not offer a truly representative impression of her writing. In the arms of men (2000) Love (2005) It's a girl (2022) and Just the way you want me (2023, in F: 2016), filmed in 2019 with Juliette Binoche. The story centers on 48-year-old literature professor Claire Millecam, who, after a failed marriage and societal expectations of women her age, fights against becoming "invisible". Claire (who in Your promise (appearing a second time as the protagonist, if not all the protagonists are loose variations on Camille Laurens anyway) creates a fictional Facebook profile of 24-year-old Claire Antunès in order to meet 35-year-old photographer Chris. This identity not only allows her to reclaim a youthful desire but also confronts her with the boundaries between reality and illusion. The novel alternates between Claire's inner monologues, transcribed therapy sessions, and the perspectives of other characters, including her psychiatrist, her ex-husband, and a writer who runs a writing workshop in Claire's psychiatric hospital. Marielle Kreienborg writes in the Taz From August 22, 2024: “What follows is a meta-narrative in which every story, according to the Matryoshka doll principle, contains another and yet another. Polyphonic narrative forms and perspectives, in which all participants believe they are deceiving the others and are themselves deceived, collide.” Each narrator is portrayed as both credible and unreliable. This creates a labyrinth of truth and fiction that asks less about what is true or false, but rather examines the conditions that give rise to different forms of self-presentation.
Ça m'a fait du bien d'écrire la dernière page, enfin l'une des dernières pages, le début de la fin, quand Claire, ma narratrice, découvre la evidence, c'est-à-dire a fait pour lequel il n'y a pas d'interpretation possible, a fait monolithique, now mais irréfutable, date, nommé, a fait brut étranger à toute subjectivité. This discovery closes the source of the source to the mother's heart, to the owner of bribes, souvenirs, témoignages et d'hypothèses contradictoires, without finding anything in a form in a sense, encore moins une certitude. The book ends as a novel police officer: par la vérité. Car la vérité exists, n'en déplaise aux hérauts de la nuance, aux champions of ambivalence, aux tenants of the universal fiction. In a moment, in the champion of the world, it was something that was faux, fair or fable. Cela ne dure peut-être qu'un moment, mais c'est a moment de vérité. Or, all the world in the world of vérité. On traîne les pieds, on y va à reculons, on tergiverse. On the other hand, on the other hand, on the other hand, on the other hand. No, pas la paix. La tranquility. The vérité is an adventure, or on another level of tranquility, which imports the prize. Mais un roman ne doit pas sacrifier la vérité, il perdrait sa raison d'être, qui consiste à s'y risquer, quelle qu'elle soit. If you don't write anything for the chercher, you don't write anything. Et si vous ne lisez pas pour l'approcher, à quoi bon ? C'est pourquoi je commence toujours par écrire la fin. Pour me thunder le courage de suivre le chemin. Pour être sûre d'aller au bout sans lâcheté. Je vais l'écrire, ce livre, puisque je l'ai déjà fini. J'en suis venue à bout. Voilà ce que je me dis. Je suis venue à bout de l'illusion, même si c'en est une encore de s'y croire parvenue. C'est le chemin qui compte, après tout. Jamais été éblouie par la vérité, à la fin ? Oh, je me contenterai d'un rai de lumière. There is also a comment in the recital, according to this épigraphe d'Héraclite – I refuse to hear it: « The truth is that it is ready for you, it is difficult to find and, when you see it, déconcertante. » D'un autre côté, cet adjectif ne convient pas. Déconcertante, la vérité ? Elle is monstrous. Elle is meurtrière. Comment don't you think that the best thing you can do is protect yourself? On est tellement plus heureux par les choses qu'on ignore que par cells qu'on sait.
Camille Laurens, Your promise.
It felt good to write the last page, well, one of the last pages, the beginning of the end, when Claire, my narrator, Proof Discovered, that is, a fact for which there is no interpretation, a monolithic, new, but irrefutable, dated and named fact, a raw fact alien to all subjectivity. This discovery ends the anxious investigation to which I have subjected his life for months, circling fragments, memories, witness statements, and contradictory hypotheses without truly finding either form or meaning, let alone certainty. This book must end as a detective novel ends: with the truth. For truth exists, whether the harbingers of nuance, the champions of ambivalence, or the advocates of universal fiction like it or not. At some point in life, something is true or false, fact or fable. It may only last a moment, but it is a moment of truth. Now, everyone is afraid of the truth. People dawdle, they go backward, they hesitate. They don't want the truth, they want peace. No, not peace. Peace and quiet. The truth is an adventure, and one wants peace and quiet, no matter the cost. But a novel must not sacrifice the truth, for then it would lose its raison d'être, which lies in venturing into it, whatever form it may take. If you don't write to seek it, don't write. And if you don't read to approach it, what's the point? This is why I always write the ending first. To give myself the courage to go down the path. To make sure I can reach the end without cowardice. I will write it, this book, because I have already finished it. I have brought it to a close. That is what I tell myself. I have overcome the illusion, even though it is still an illusion to believe that I have succeeded. It is the journey that counts, after all. Have you ever been blinded by the truth? Oh, I am content with a ray of light. I can also sense how one might enter the narrative through this epigraph by Heraclitus—I'm not ruling anything out: "Whoever seeks the truth must be prepared for the unexpected, for it is hard to find and, when encountered, bewildering." On the other hand, this adjective is inappropriate. Is truth bewildering? It is monstrous. It is murderous. How can one not understand that happiness seeks protection from it? One is so much happier for the things one doesn't know than for the things one does know.
Stylistically, Laurens shines with language that is both poetic and sharp. She employs linguistic devices to heighten emotional tension and draw the reader into the protagonist's inner world. At the same time, the novel reflects on the function of language and literature as a means of self-assertion and the search for truth. The protagonist, Claire, is at the center of a story marked by manipulation and lies, which ultimately lands her in court. The search for truth becomes the primary motivation for her writing and reflections. A central theme is the difference between subjective perception and objective truth. Claire describes how she seeks truth in her life and relationships, while simultaneously reflecting on the challenges and fear that come with it. Claire breaks a promise of loyalty when she begins writing about her relationship with Gilles, which she perceives as a kind of betrayal. The central dynamic of the book is the protagonist's gradual awakening as she gradually uncovers the deceptions and dangerous nature of her partner. Laurens places great emphasis on the reader experiencing this development as if they were standing right beside Claire. The novel unfolds like a detective story, in which the truth is revealed piece by piece.
— Qu'est-ce qu'elle cherchait? Qu'est-ce qu'elle cherche? — Ce que cherchent les detectives. La verité. And this is what the écrivains are: a form for the content. En fait, when i'm réfléchis, je dis qu'elle a dû faire appeal à un vrai détective. Tu verras, il ya des choses qu'elle n'a pas pu apprendre toute seule. The details are precise on the moment or the moment, the scenes with the genre can be seen in the world. — Elle les a inventées, c'est tout. Un écrivain, ça invente, non ? — Oui. Peut etre. Peut-etre que je deliré. In all cases, mises bout à bout, ses trouvailles, ses lectures, ses analyzes et sa gamberge visent à une reconstitution complète, comme dit la justice. Claire says she has the instruction. La vraie scene de crime, pour elle, ce n'est pas la maison, c'est le passé, c'est la cervelle du mec ! Elle fouille les moindres recoins, perquisitionne les souvenirs, probe les fondations. Et à quel prix! Elle tient plus à la vérité qu'au bonheur. The heart of the film is like a portrait.
Camille Laurens, Ta promesse.
"What was she looking for? What is she looking for?" "What detectives look for. The truth. And what writers look for: a way to contain it. Come to think of it, I even think she must have hired a real detective. You'll see there are things she couldn't find out on her own. Precise details about times when she wasn't there, scenes with people she never actually met." "She just made them up. A writer makes things up, doesn't she?" "Yes. Maybe. Maybe I'm fantasizing. In any case, her findings, her reading, her analyses, and her rambling, when put together, all point toward a complete reconstruction, as the law says. Claire is conducting her own investigation. For her, the real crime scene isn't the house, but the past, the man's mind! She searches the smallest corners, sifts through memories, explores the foundation. And at what cost! Truth is more important to her than happiness. This is the heart of your film, if you want to portray him."
What does it mean that Laurens chooses the same protagonist in two novels? Celle que vous croyez Camille Laurens' novel portrays Claire as a woman who creates a second life under the identity of a younger woman named Claire Antunès in order to build a relationship with a younger man named Chris. This story explores themes such as identity, illusion, and the longing for love and acceptance. Your promise Claire is portrayed as an author who also grapples with themes of love and personal conflict, particularly in relation to her relationship with Gilles Fabian. This story is more autobiographical and explores the impact of relationships on the protagonist's self-image and creative work. After the self-deception in a digital world, she now reflects on... Your promise about the real consequences of personal decisions and their influence on writing and art. A central theme of the opening pages is the tension between personal happiness and artistic creation. Claire is aware that to succeed as a writer, she may have to process both her own experiences and those of her relationships. In this context, the promise not to write about Gilles becomes a kind of creative block. This ambivalence between the need for artistic processing and the fear of a reality that renders her writing obsolete is heightened by metaphors of emptiness and loss.
Camille Laurens shares in a radio interview 3 her perspective on writing, her literary philosophy and her current work The promiseShe sees writers as the "supreme manipulators" who hold all the threads of a story, yet are simultaneously guided by an inner inspiration. She describes this process as almost intuitive, as if the brush itself guides her hand. This tension between control and surrender to inspiration is central to her creative process. Laurens is convinced that pain, disappointment, and loss are essential foundations for literature; she believes that happy people "have no stories" worth telling, since novels often arise from reflecting on difficult, tragic, or painful experiences to transform life's darker aspects into art. Camille Laurens' Your promise For her, it is an instrument to explore and productively utilize the boundary between fact and fiction, between gaslighting and autofiction. Truth, for her, does not prove to be a rigid concept, but—and this is what constitutes the ambivalence of the book—must be understood as a dynamic process.
This article is written in German and can be found at https://rentree.de. Automatic translations into English and French are available. English, French.
Notes- "Tout le monde envie ce couple empporté par le désir et l'amour fou. Mais la déchirure des sentiments les mènera à la violence mortifère." Christophe Henning, La Croix, January 8, 2025.>>>
- Didier Jacob, “Ta promesse, par Camille Laurens: anatomie d'une lutte,” The Obs, January 6, 2025.>>>
- Camille Laurens: “Thriller, romance, process: j'ai mêlé dans ce texte les rythmes et les genres”, Radio France Inter, January 12, 2025.>>>
