Preface — Where Time Lingers
In the east of France, between wooded hills and endless fields, lie the Trois Vallons—a small land where time seems to slow down. Here, villages move to the rhythm of Sunday markets, buses that are missed every other time, and rumors that travel faster than the wind.
Among them is Saint-Laurier-sur-Valon, a peaceful town where cafés shaded by plane trees, a quiet library, and a local caterer weave together a simple, familiar daily life.
Higher up, in the hushed calm of the Hauts de Verneuil, the Thomas family lives in seclusion, surrounded by trimmed hedges and blooming gardens. Alexander, the eldest—solid, discreet—flees as much as he protects.
Further down, in the hamlet of La Morandière, Anna Olivier leads a modest life, caught between two bus stops and a field of cows. Small, passionate about books, clumsy yet lively, she always carries a bag that’s too heavy and a smile that’s too wide.
It is in this corner of the French countryside, made of silences, simple gestures, and bonds woven in the shadows, that Anna and Alexander will meet. Two wounded souls, two worlds that have nothing in common… yet life will slowly draw them closer.
Welcome to the Trois Vallons.
