Tata

July 2026 Indie Next Pick
Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated Book

Valérie Perrin’s First New Novel since her breakout bestseller Fresh Water for Flowers

“Valérie Perrin is a prodigious storyteller.”—Elle  

“Tata is Perrin’s most ambitious, most intimate, most liberating, most important book yet.”—Le Parisien 

When Agnes hears from the local police her Aunt Colette has died, she can’t believe her ears.  Her father’s sister Colette, her Tata, died three years ago and has been resting in peace in the cemetery of Gueugnon. 

Agnes is called to identify the body: there is no doubt, it’s Aunt Colette. But then, who rests under the stone engraved with Colette’s name? And why did she fake her own death? So begins an investigation back in time, as Agnes pieces together the multitude of stories that lie behind her aunt's second death.       

An intricate, compelling web of stories told with irony, delicacy and depth, Tata will keep readers glued to every page.

★ “A bewitching novel about found family and the transformative power of love.”—Foreword Reviews (starred)

★ “An exquisitely layered story... Reading Tata is like reading several great novels at once.”—BookPage (starred)