Unfit

Harwicz (Die, My Love) spins an unrelenting tale of a migrant woman who takes drastic steps to fulfill her radical conception of motherly love. Lisa Trejman, an Argentinian living in rural France, desperately waits for updates regarding the custody case over her twin sons J and E, after her husband, Armand, reported her for domestic abuse. Alone and with no support system, she resorts to a rash and unthinkable course of action: setting fire to her parents-in-law’s house in the middle of the night and kidnapping her children in the ensuing mayhem. As she’s inundated with calls and messages from Armand during her “adventure” across France with the twins, as she calls it, the true toxic nature of the couple’s relationship slowly comes into focus, as does the insidious xenophobic scheming of Armand’s controlling parents. Eventually, Lisa decides to reveal their location to Armand, and the family is briefly reunited for a few chaotic but happy nights, before the couple’s violent pattern inevitably rears its ugly head, leading to an explosive and haunting ending. Harwicz’s assured pacing is bolstered by her gorgeous and often darkly funny prose, immaculately translated by Mendez Sayer: “Love,” says Lisa, “is hundreds of aggressive monkeys looting and pillaging believers at the entrance to a Buddhist temple.” The result is a wild and unforgettable ride. (Oct.)