On the face of it, the narrator of 'Sans Moi' - educated, professional, stable background, two children - and her babysitter, Olivia - brought up in care, getting off heroin, sometime prostitute - could not be more different. One might think that the only possible relationship between them would be protective, the older woman looking after the lost, victimised younger one.
But life is not just a question of the past, and people are not simply the products of their worst experiences. Confronted by the challenges of loneliness and change, the narrator realises that Olivia has as much to give her as she has needs of her own. In the year they live together, companionship, intimacy and humour create a friendship full of vitality and mutual respect.
