Tabula Rasa #[nn]

Pierre Maurel's Tabula Rasa, published by Gallimard's Bayou imprint in 2014, sets an immediately gripping tone with its cover: two young people — one crouching to comfort a golden dog — face off against a menacing, chain-wielding figure on the left, while a chaotic crowd of wild figures looms in the rubble-strewn background. The contrast between the kids' quiet protectiveness and the surrounding danger gives the scene a real emotional charge, hinting at a story where survival and compassion collide in a world gone sideways.