Second Best

A witty, moving international bestseller about a 10-year boy whose life is shaped forever when he loses out on the role of Harry Potter

This ＂surreal yet relatable novel considers life in our age of anxiety, when other people’s picture-perfect lives make our own seem drab in comparison＂ -- Washington Post

It’s 1999. Martin Hill is 10 years old, crazy about football and has a minor crush on a girl named Betty. Then he makes it to the final 2 in the casting for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

In the end, the other boy is picked for the role of a lifetime. A devastated Martin tries to move on with his life. But how can he escape his failure, especially when it’s the most famous film series in the world? As Martin grows up, he finds every aspect of his life is invaded with a sense of failure and missed opportunity, and he struggles under the weight of the life he isn’t living.

This bittersweet comedy is full of surprising truths and touching moments, as its unforgettable character discovers that sometimes, the lives we wish we’d led might not be all they’re cracked up to be.

An international publishing sensation, Second Best has been adapted for stage and won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers.

David Foenkinos is the author of 17 novels which have been translated into 40 languages. His novel Delicacy was made into a film starring Audrey Tautou (2011). He received the 2014 Prix Renaudot and Prix Goncourt des Lycéens for Charlotte.

Megan Jones is a translator. She lives in London.