Froth on the Daydream

Boris Vian · 1920–1959 · France

Originally L'Écume des jours (French)

Why it matters

A young Parisian's carefree marriage curdles into tragedy as his wife's illness (a lily growing in her lung) slowly consumes their money and their surreal, playful world. Whimsy collapsing into heartbreak, one of French fiction's most beloved cult novels.

At a glance

Whimsical wordplay and surreal imagery complicate an otherwise simple plot.