Le Château des Rentiers

Looking up at the eighth floor of a tower in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, Agnès's thoughts turn to Boris and Tsila, her grandparents, and all those who once lived in the same building. On Rue du Château des Rentiers, these Jews from Central Europe had once created a communal life, a phalanstery. Time has passed, but it matters little, for with imagination, one can be 17, 22, 53, and 90 all at once: past and present overlap, years collide, and the utopia lived by Boris and Tsila in turn becomes Agnès's project.
Growing old? Yes, but in the company of those you love. Such is the lesson of this novel, full of humor and riddles — what does the Garden of Eden look like? What is the exact recipe for walnut cake? What is a story told to the deaf by the mute? — which takes us on a dizzying journey through generations.