Book Spotlight: The Name on the Wall by Hervé Le Tellier

New York Times bestselling author Hervé Le Tellier, best known for The Anomaly, returns with a moving and deeply human story in The Name on the Wall: A Novel. Beautifully translated by Adriana Hunter, this poignant work of historical fiction unearths and honors the brief but powerful life of a young French Resistance fighter during World War II. (Other Press, 2025)

Blending autofiction with historical investigation, Le Tellier begins with a simple but haunting discovery: a name scrawled on the façade of his new home. That name belonged to André Chaix, a maquisard killed at just twenty years old in August 1944.

Through deft and careful storytelling, Le Tellier pieces together fragments of history to create a vivid, emotionally grounded narrative. He avoids sentimental clichés while illuminating the courage of an ordinary young man who took up arms, one among many, during one of the world’s darkest eras. Central to this story is André’s powerful love for Simone, whose presence adds depth and tenderness to the tale.

Arriving at a moment when fascist currents are rising again worldwide, The Name on the Wall resonates as both remembrance and warning. It gives voice to the ideals for which Chaix died and poses timeless questions about belonging, sacrifice, and our human desire to be part of something greater than ourselves.

About the Author

Hervé Le Tellier is a writer, journalist, mathematician, food critic, and teacher. He has been a member of the Oulipo group since 1992 and one of the “papous” of the famous France Culture radio show. He has published numerous books of stories, essays, memoir, and novels, including the Goncourt Prize–winning The Anomaly, which has sold more than one million copies worldwide, All Happy Families, Electrico W, and Enough About Love.

About the translator

Adriana Hunter studied French and Drama at the University of London. She has translated more than ninety books, including Marc Petitjean’s The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris and Hervé Le Tellier’s The Anomaly and Eléctrico W, winner of the French-American Foundation’s 2013 Translation Prize in Fiction. She lives in Kent, England.