The Rarest Fruit
£13
‘Urgent, memorable and deeply human …’ – Ann Morgan
From the author of There’s a Monster Behind the Door, longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, comes the fictionalized biography of Edmond Albius. Bélem reimagines 19th-century Reunion in sumptuous detail.
1829. Sainte-Suzanne, Bourbon Island. A Black orphan, a slave of only 7 weeks, is placed – as if by fate – into the arms of Ferréol Beaumont, a botanist with a passion for orchids. He raises this child, Edmond, teaching him all he knows of the lush plants that populate his tropical garden.
At 12 years old, the illiterate young prodigy unlocks the secret to hand-pollinating the vanilla orchid, revolutionizing not only the island’s economy but French patisserie and perfume-making. While his discovery brings prosperity to others, the exhilarating aroma of the vanilla flower soon dissipates for Edmond as a bitter reality stretches out before him – his brilliance unrecognized, his name forgotten.
‘Thousands of delicate, early flowers have just bloomed on Edmond’s vanilla plants. They look like garlands of light, decorations for a wake on stakes that reach up to the sky. But their fragile radiance, the rarity of their brilliant fruit, the taste of vanilla they leave on the tongue – none of it matters anymore.’
Winner of Prix du Roman Métis Etudiants (2024)
Gaëlle Bélem
Gaëlle Bélem is from Réunion. She is the author of two novels in French – Un monstre est là, derrière la porte (2020) and Le fruit le plus rare (2023) – both published by Gallimard.
She teaches Latin, History and Geography to secondary school students and works as an associate judge in a juvenile court.
Un monstre est là, derrière la porte was awarded the Grand Prix du Roman Métis (2020) and the Prix André Dubreuil du Premier Roman (2020).
Author portrait © Photo by Francesca Mantovani © Editions Gallimard
