From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story of one man's promise to keep a secret that will keep him at a remove from the greatest joy in his life. One night at a party of artists and intellectuals in Kyoto, Japanese art dealer Haru encounters a woman who unsettles him more than anyone else ever has and he is compelled to know her. Maud, a French woman passing through Japan, is distant. Her cold gaze challenges any exchange, yet she is drawn to Haru. After spending ten intense nights together, Maud leaves without a word. When he learns that she is carrying his child, Haru is determined to find her.. But his advances are unwelcome. Maud wants to raise the child alone, and extracts a heartbreaking promise from him to stay out of their lives. In her poetically precise prose, Muriel Barbery explores beauty and the deep love of a father, but also captures the darkness that pushes people apart. --from publisher's website

Translated from the French