The President’s Hat by Antoine Laurin

There’s a poetic, filmic quality to the idea behind this novel, which is set in France during the 1980s. When François Mitterrand leaves his fine felt hat behind in a Paris restaurant, the man on the next table can’t resist keeping it for himself. This is where the poetic journey begins, with the hat floating through the storyline, resting occasionally on the heads of four seemingly unconnected characters.

It passes from a shy finance director to a girl who’s having an affair with a married man then, via the once brilliant star of French perfume, to a political aristocrat. The hat fits them all perfectly and gives each the missing personal qualities they need to make important life changes. Does a hat really maketh the (wo)man? This light, romantic, life-enhancing story certainly makes you want to purchase a chapeau, if you don’t own one already.

The President’s Hat by Antoine Laurain. Gallic Books. €10.60

Originally published in the August-September 2013 issue of France Today