The principle is simple yet powerful: to use fiction to show what love should never become. Possessiveness, humiliation, fear, sexual coercion, isolation or physical abuse are not extreme manifestations of passion. They are acts of violence.
For a long time, domestic violence has been swept under the carpet with a convenient phrase: ‘It’s none of our business.’ A way of turning what was happening to neighbours, colleagues, friends or sometimes within one’s own family into a private matter.
‘That’s not what love is!’ aims precisely to break down this wall of silence.
Through fourteen previously unpublished short stories, fourteen literary voices explore the mechanisms of control and those moments when a relationship gradually tips over into domination. Literature possesses a particular power here: it allows us to delve into situations, contradictions, fears and hopes without reducing the victims to mere statistics.
But the book does not merely seek to recount violence. It also aims to speak of recovery. Breaking free from control is possible. Beyond fear and isolation, another life can exist.
The line-up of contributors is particularly strong: Olivier Adam, Adélaïde Bon, Arnaud Cathrine, Stéphanie Dupays, Nadège Erika, Adeline Fleury, Julia Kerninon, Gilles Marchand, Carole Martinez, Gaëlle Nohant, Karine Reysset, Julien Sandrel, Murielle Szac and Valérie Zenatti have all agreed to take part in the project.
The foreword is written by Sarah Barukh, who previously authored ‘125 et des milliers’, published by HarperCollins in 2023. That previous project had coincided with the launch of the charity ‘125 et après’, which is dedicated to raising awareness, providing guidance and offering support to victims of domestic violence.
Once again, therefore, the initiative extends beyond the pages of the book: the proceeds from *C’est pas ça l’amour!* will be donated to the *125 et après* charity.
This is probably what gives the project its coherence. A book can tell a story, move readers or raise awareness. When it also enables concrete support for those working with victims, literature rediscovers one of its most essential functions: bringing to light what we sometimes would rather not see.
‘That’s Not What Love Is!’, an anthology, with a foreword by Sarah Barukh. Published on 28 October 2026. Paperback, 256 pages, €7.10.
