Olivier: his on-line sex addiction, his phobias and his OCDs; David, his need to exist through the very real encounters he makes in gay bars; Lily from London, the friend and confidante who is about to make a radical change in her life; Samuel, who’s really going to need his imaginary friend Anthony to get through the family reunion after his grandfather’s funeral...

What do feelings look like in a hyper-connected world? How does coming out affect your private life and your family? Between fantasy and reality, your blood relatives and your chosen family of friends, how are you supposed to figure out who you are and where you belong?

Through the adventures of very realistic characters, Les Animaux sentimentaux presents a contemporary version of the eternal question of the interplay between sex and love. A superficial flippancy suffuses the writing, which switches back and forth between French and English and reality and fiction – readers will come across both David Bowie and Alice’s rabbit.

In this vibrant ode to friendship, Cédric Duroux expresses a kind of un-mushy sentimentality and festive melancholy that is reminiscent of Maupin’s Tales of the City.

An inter-generational novel that explores issues related to love, desire, friendship and family with humor and subtlety.