LA251 Café Littéraire: "La Familia Grande," by Camile Kouchner

In La Familia Grande, Camille Kouchner delivers a powerful and deeply personal memoir that shook France to its core. The book recounts the hidden trauma within her prominent intellectual family when she reveals that her twin brother was sexually abused by their stepfather, Olivier Duhamel—a well-known academic and public figure. Set against the backdrop of elite Parisian society in the late 20th century, Kouchner exposes the silence, denial, and complicity that allowed such abuse to continue unspoken for decades.

What makes this memoir so compelling is not only the harrowing subject matter but the emotional nuance Kouchner brings as she wrestles with loyalty, guilt, and the crushing weight of long-held family secrets. Her courageous decision to speak out helped spark a national reckoning in France about incest and child abuse, often taboo topics even in progressive circles.

La Familia Grande is more than a personal exposé—it’s a searing critique of societal denial and a call for accountability, justice, and the power of truth-telling. For book groups, it offers rich material for discussion on family dynamics, moral courage, and the challenges of confronting painful truths in close-knit communities.

The discussion will be in English.

The May meeting will be held at a member's apartment near Place de la République. The address, door code, phone number, etc., will be send in the 7-day and 1-day reminder emails.