Bonjour Tristesse

Bonjour Tristesse (1954) is the debut novel of French author Françoise Sagan, who was just 18 years old when she wrote it. The book was a literary success, earning the Prix des Critiques and becoming an international bestseller. Set on the French Riviera, the novel follows a disaffected teenager and explores themes of emotional detachment, moral ambiguity, and the search for meaning in a world stripped of structure. Categorized as a work of literary fiction, it is often associated with the existentialist and modernist movements. 

This guide is based on the 1975 edition of Bonjour Tristesse, which was translated by Irene Ash and published by John Murray.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide feature depictions of substance use, sexual content, death by suicide, death, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and cursing.

Plot Summary

Cécile is a 17-year-old girl in 1950s France. She is navigating a formative summer on the French Riviera with her widowed father, Raymond, and his newest lover, Elsa. Initially, this is a time of carefree indulgence, characterized by sun, sea, and sensual pleasures. Raymond encourages Cécile’s detachment from social conventions, particularly regarding love and fidelity. His relationship with Elsa is shallow but amiable, and Cécile, flattered by the attention of a young law student named Cyril, begins a tentative romance with him. The trio’s leisure is disrupted when Anne Larsen, a poised and intelligent family friend, joins them at their rented villa.

Anne’s presence introduces tension and structure to the previously unregulated household. Cécile initially admires Anne but soon comes to resent her influence. Anne expresses concern over Cécile’s recent academic failure and insists that she spend the summer studying. Cécile, whose identity has been shaped by her father’s permissive lifestyle, finds Anne’s expectations stifling. The shift becomes more pointed when Raymond begins to pull away from Elsa and shows signs of affection for Anne.

During a group outing to a casino in Cannes, Raymond and Anne separate from the others. Cécile discovers them in the car, alone, and later learns that they intend to marry. Elsa is upset and leaves the villa. Anne’s transformation from family friend to authoritative maternal figure alarms Cécile. She worries that Anne will impose order and responsibility not only on Raymond but also on her. When Anne forbids Cécile from seeing Cyril, Cécile begins to fantasize about sabotaging the engagement.

Cécile concocts a plan: She convinces Elsa and Cyril to pretend they are a couple in view of Raymond, hoping to provoke jealousy. Though she wavers in her resolve and feels occasional pangs of guilt, Cécile ultimately sets the scheme in motion, driven by the fear of losing her independence.

As the plan unfolds, Cécile experiences a series of contradictions. She enjoys the power her manipulation affords but is disturbed by the intimacy between Elsa and Cyril. Meanwhile, Anne and Raymond settle into a seemingly affectionate and harmonious relationship, deepening Cécile’s inner conflict. Cécile grows increasingly reliant on Cyril, engaging in a physical relationship with him and using his love as a refuge from her guilt and uncertainty.

One afternoon, Cécile orchestrates a walk with her father in the woods that brings them past Elsa and Cyril, who are posed as sleeping lovers. The staged encounter provokes a strong emotional reaction in Raymond. Though he insists he no longer has feelings for Elsa, his anger reveals otherwise, and Cécile feels a brief sense of success. However, Anne soon discovers that Raymond has become involved with Elsa once again. Visibly distraught, Anne races away in her car, ignoring Cécile’s desperate pleas to stop. That evening, she and Raymond attempt to write letters of apology addressed to Anne, clinging to the hope that she will return. However, they receive a call informing them that Anne has died in a car accident on the winding road to Estérel—a road known for its danger.

Though Anne’s accident is never definitively ruled a suicide, both Cécile and Raymond suspect the possibility but choose not to confront it. In the aftermath, Cécile feels alienated from both Elsa and Cyril and acknowledges that she never truly loved Cyril. The villa bears traces of Anne’s presence, which haunts both father and daughter.

Back in Paris, Anne’s funeral is held on a beautiful day. Cécile and Raymond mourn in silence, clinging to one another. For a time, they lead a quiet, grief-stricken existence, eating meals together and speaking of Anne with restrained affection. Eventually, the rhythm of their previous lives resumes. Raymond begins dating again, and Cécile takes up with a new lover.