| Finistère | |
| Author: | Fritz Peters |
| Publisher: | Farrar, Straus and Giroux[1] |
| Publisher2: | Hirsch Giovanni Publishing (2024) |
| Pub Date: | 1951 |
| Pages: | 356 |
| Isbn: | 978-1957241081 |
Finistère is a 1951 novel written by American writer Fritz Peters. The novel is about a teenager who falls in love with his tennis instructor at a boarding school he was placed in after moving to France.[2] It details the issues on the effects of divorce and the problems faced with homosexual relationships during that time period.[3] It was a bestseller, receiving a first printing run of 350,000 copies.[4]
Set in the 1920s, the main character, Matthew Cameron, moves to France after his parents' divorce. He struggles to fit in until he forges a forbidden relationship with his tennis instructor, Michel Garnier. It focuses on the failure of their families and society to accept their same-sex relationship.
The novel was referred to as "very good" and "very depressing" by The Daily Telegraph.[5] Herbert West of The New York Times said it was "the best novel I have ever read on the theme of homosexuality and its tragic consequences in a world made up of selfish, ruthless, cruel, egocentric people."[6]
The movie rights to Finistère were acquired by Hirsch Giovanni Entertainment in 2020.[4] In 2024, it was released in audiobook format, voiced by Emile Hirsch.[7]