Due to be published in March 2026 this exciting new book from award winning author Christine Donovan follows rising literary talent Julia Stanford as she relocates to 1981 Paris in search of inspiration and escape. Tasked with adapting Iris Murdoch’s The Sandcastle into a screenplay, she becomes entwined with the enigmatic nouvelle vague director Lenica, whose presence draws her into the creative and emotional undercurrents of the city. As Julia moves between the hedonism of the Cannes Film Festival, the late-night intensity of Parisian clubs, and unexpected encounters with former Situationist International members, she is forced to confront the complexities of her own ambition. Her journey becomes a layered exploration of betrayal, creative pressure, and self-renewal, set against the shifting psychogeography of a city that both unsettles and inspires. Dériveville offers a vivid portrait of an artist seeking clarity amid Paris’s secrets, contradictions, and seductive brilliance.