Clélie Avit

Clélie Avit is a French novelist whose debut, I’m Still Here, was first published as Je suis là and later translated into English by Lucy Foster. The story alternates between Elsa, a mountain climber who can hear despite remaining unable to communicate after an accident, and Thibault, a hospital visitor who enters her room by chance. His conversations give Elsa a renewed connection to the world while her family and doctors confront difficult decisions about her care. Hachette presents I’m Still Here as a contemporary story of hope and affection, and Kirkus identifies its alternating viewpoints, hospital setting, and modern Sleeping Beauty framework. Avit received the Prix Nouveau Talent for the original French novel, recognition that helped bring the book to international readers. Her use of Elsa’s interior voice gives the apparently silent character an active perspective, while Thibault’s chapters show how an accidental encounter changes his own life. The translation preserves this two-voice structure and the tension created by what each character can and cannot know.