'Their Children After Them' by Nicolas Mathieu, the recipient of the prestigious Goncourt Prize, is a compelling and raw portrait of adolescence in a forgotten corner of post-industrial France. Set during a sweltering summer in the 1990s, the novel follows a group of teenagers navigating boredom, first loves, burgeoning desires, and the grim realities of economic decline. Mathieu masterfully captures the yearning for escape and the suffocating sense of stagnation that defines a generation struggling to find its place amidst the ruins of the past, offering a poignant and unforgettable look at youth on the brink of adulthood.