The international bestseller, translated from German by Simon Pare. On a beautifully restored barge on the Seine, Jean Perdu runs a bookstore; or rather, a literary pharmacy, as this bookseller possesses a rare talent for sensing which books will soothe the troubled souls of his customers. The only person he seems unable to heal is himself. Since the night twenty-one years ago when the love of his life left Paris, leaving behind a handwritten letter he has never dared to read, he has carried a broken heart. His memories and his love have gathered dust – until now. The arrival of a mysterious new neighbor in his eccentric apartment building inspires Jean to open his heart, untie the floating bookstore, and set off for Provence in search of the past and his beloved.