Adolescence

A shy, precocious teenager narrates his restless inner world, where classical verses mingle with fierce, unshaped desires. Raised alone on a country estate, he spends his days racing, swimming, and dreaming of unattainable muses, while his mother’s distant social circle offers only fleeting, bewildering encounters. The narrator’s yearning for intimacy collides with his awkward attempts to understand the adult women who drift through his life, leaving him both frustrated and fascinated.

The quiet rhythm of rural life is interrupted when a neighboring property is bought by a family from the Midi. Their arrival stirs gossip and suspicion among the locals, and the narrator’s curiosity turns toward the new occupants, especially Madame Maure, a pragmatic, straightforward woman in her forties. Her presence promises a fresh perspective on the world the young narrator has known, hinting at the subtle shifts that will shape his coming‑of‑age journey.