Published in 2016 by Fayard, Tu comprendras quand tu seras plus grande is Virginie Grimaldi's second novel. It is part of the "feel good" literature, the one that, energetic and benevolent, allows you to begin the process of personal development and positive psychology.

Virginie Grimaldi is the new novelist who has the wind in her sails. In four years, she published four novels that all became bestsellers. But what is the key to its success?

You'll understand when you're older

The heroine, Julia, is also the narrator of the novel, it is through her eyes that the story is told to us. At the beginning of the book, she finds herself at a pivotal moment in her life: in just a few months, she loses her grandmother, her father, her job and leaves her lover. Tired of "squatting" the sofa of her good friend Marion, she decides willy-nilly to leave the capital and applies to a retirement home in the South West. She is a psychologist and hopes to find the tranquility necessary for her reconstruction. 

Very poignant at first, the heroine's point of view quickly becomes burlesque when she discovers the residents of the Tamaris, the famous retirement home that recruits and lodges her for an eight-month contract. Julia will never be at the end of her surprises again!

A beautiful life lesson

Do not be mistaken by the evocative title of this novel: it will indeed be a sweet lesson of life. This immersion of a psychologist in a retirement home is initially compromised. Julia is heartbroken and not particularly fond of the elderly. Yet, whether it's the prankster grandpa or the "gang of grannies", everyone has something to teach him.

The multitude of characters allows the reader to alternate between moving, funny, or profound dialogues. This novel with a pleasant and joyful style is nevertheless intended for a female audience.But Virginie Grimaldi, through her heroine, offers this book as a bit of a mirror: she addresses subjects that affect all men. Mourning, loneliness, fear of death, abandonment, modesty too.

"If old age was sweet, no one would want it to stop. The fact that it is so harsh makes life less endearing. Old age was invented to detach itself from life. »

A novel that feels good

Reading this novel, one can be annoyed by some repetitive clichés. That said, Virginie Grimaldi's writing guarantees a stripping humor, endearing characters and a deep humanity. With her solar personality, she pushes her readers to self-realization: to get out of their personal problems, to awaken what is stifled in themselves and, of course, an obligatory "happy ending", to bring reading back to its primary function, namely an escape. By closing it, we have only one desire: that of delighting in the small pleasures that life offers.

"Life is short, boy, and we only have one, we should only give time to what is really worthwhile. »

According to the latest news, Tu comprendras quand tu seras plus grande is being adapted into a film by Éléanore de Galard for Mon Label. It will take a little more patience for readers before finding the colorful characters of Virginie Grimaldi. No shooting date or theatrical release date has been communicated at this time.

And you, have you ever read Virginie Grimaldi? Which novel did you like? Feel free to share your reading impressions!