Descent Into Paradise and A Place to Live

by Vincent Karle, Jean-Philippe Blondel

Friendships confront the force of authority in these raw, powerful stories. When the new kid from Afghanistan is put in Martin's class, Martin ridicules his clothes and nicknames him "Taliban." But the two realize they have more in common than they thought and unexpectedly become friends -- until a brutal drug bust at school tears them apart . . . maybe forever. Descent into Paradise confronts the hypocrisies of Western society and questions whether we aren't all just strangers in a foreign land. When a teenage boy starts making movies of his classmates kissing, some people think it's odd. But in A Place to Live , the aspiring filmmaker's project turns into a compelling protest against authoritarianism that could get him kicked out of school, and it also risks exposing his surprising feelings for his best friend. These two provocative tales reveal the consequences of standing up for yourself -- and for your friends. Annick Press is pleased to announce the launch of Single Voice , a groundbreaking and provocative new young-adult fiction series in which no subject is off limits. These tightly paced stories deliver blow after powerful blow with their unflinching honesty, original subject matter and startling twists. Told in the voice of teen narrators at crucial moments in their lives, each story explodes with the urgency, drama and confusion of adolescence. Most importantly, these short yet finely honed literary works will appeal to both avid and less experienced readers. Each book consists of two separate but thematically connected stories with distinct inverted covers in an alluring "flip-book" format. Under the guiding hand of series editor and award-winning author Melanie Little ( The Apprentice's Masterpiece, Confidence ), the series is comprised of works from distinguished writers whose fiction has been recognized internationally. "There's an urgency to the stories -- they read in one go. Like a punch in the stomach. In your head. In your heart." -- Le Vif / L'express

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Vincent Karle was born in 1976, the eldest of three children. He grew up in the north of France, and later moved to the south, near the Mediterranean. As a child, he liked to read books and comics. He also enjoyed playing superheroes, dressing up in costumes, and later became interested in acting and photography. He grew up surrounded by books, which his parents, both teachers, read to him day and night.

The first time Vincent read on his own was at the age of six. He came home from school one day, went straight to his parents’ library (his favorite room in the house), took out a book of Russian tales, and just started reading. As he sat in the big brown armchair by the window, the setting sun cast a yellow glow on the pages. He felt like the world was wide open before him, as if he were connected to the entire universe.

Vincent’s favorite subjects in school were history, art, and English. He got his university degree in philosophy and English, then spent time living in Paris, Lyon, and Aix en Provence. At the age of 19, after reading The Music of Chance by Paul Auster, Vincent decided that he wanted to be a writer.

What he enjoys most about the creative process is telling people’s stories. He does not create characters and events—he just writes down stories that he hears in his head. The greatest challenge is searching deep enough inside himself to find the stories that are already there. His advice for aspiring authors is to listen, then look, and finally write.

Vincent’s next project is a book for adults dealing with illegal immigrants in France. He is also writing a novel about jazz and boxing in the New York of the 30s and one about his family and how they fled the Civil War in Spain and moved to France.

Vincent lives with his wife and two children in the picturesque town of Sassenage in southeastern France.

Reviews

[Sarah BT · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the Book: Two stories-one book. Descent Into Paradise is the story of police going too far, immigration, friendship and standing up for what you believe. During a police drug raid at school, a new student who has transferred from Afghanistan is targeted-even though he's innocent. What do you do when the police cross the line?

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This is a very short story-just over 100 pages, but it does pack a big punch. It's easy to read, fast paced, and raises a lot of questions. I couldn't believe the police were so mean, yet at the same time I know that prejudice is still very much alive so part of me wasn't surprised.

There's not a ton of characterization, although the narrator grew on me throughout. The plot gets right to the point-it's short and there's no messing around with parts of the story that don't need to be there. But I did think it was a powerful short story and one that could start a great discussion.

I would give this one to reluctant readers or readers who don't want a massive novel, but still want a book with high interest. The readability is very easy, so it'd be a great pick for those high interest/low level readers in the library. If you have a big hi/lo readership and need to beef up that collection, I would recommend adding the Single Voice books to your collection. There are three out now, with more to come. Check out the Annick Press blog for the whole collection of titles and tour stops.

I do wish the covers had different colors though-the cover of my story was pink, and while I love pink, I think the story has a lot of guy appeal, but I don't know many guys who would pick up a pink cover on their own.

Since this book has two stories in it, The Book Muncher has a review of the other story in this book, A Place to Live.