The novel of the year is what La Presse called this extraordinary book–a love story that takes place during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda–by one of French Canada's most admired journalists.The swimming pool of the Mille-Collines hotel is a magnet for a motley group of Kigali residents: aid workers, Rwandan bourgeoisie, expatriates and prostitutes. Among these patrons is the hotel waitress, Gentille, a beautiful Hutu often mistaken for a Tutsi, who has long been admired by Bernard Valcourt, a foreign journalist.As the two slide into a love affair and prepare for their wedding, we see the world around them coming apart as the Hutu-led genocide against the Tutsi people begins. Tensions mount, friends are brutally murdered and unbridled violence takes over. Gentille and Valcourt attempt to flee the country to safety but are separated–and it will be months before Valcourt learns of Gentille's shocking fate.With profound compassion and skill, Gil Courtemanche tells a story of love against all odds set amid one of the most horrific–and overlooked–chapters in recent history. Awarded Canada's prestigious Prix des Libraires du Québec in 2001, A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali introduces American audiences to a brilliant new novelist.About the Author: Gil Courtemanche is a journalist in international and third-world politics, and an author of several non-fiction works. Un dimanche à la piscine à Kigali spent more than a year on Quebec bestseller lists. Movie production is underway with Lyla Films.Patricia Claxton is one of Canada's foremost translators, who has worked withGabrielle Roy, Nicole Brossard and Pierre Elliott Trudeau, among others.