In 1878, Blanche Wittman was admitted to Salpêtrière Hospital as an hysteric and placed in the care of the famous M. Charcot, who regularly exhibited her, in a cataleptic state, before a public audience.

Over time, the nature of her participation in these demonstrations changed; she progressed from patient to assistant and after leaving the hospital, was hired by Marie Curie to work in her Paris laboratory.

On 17 February 1898, radium was discovered, and Blanche's exposure to it required the amputation of all her limbs, except one. As for Marie, her husband and collaborator Pierre was weakened by illness and later died after wandering in front of an oncoming horse and cart.

Following this, she began an ill-fated love affair, which, in 1911, nearly cost her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Using Blanche's notebooks - 'The Book of Questions' - Enquist skillfully intertwines fact and fiction in a compelling story of scientific discovery, death, art, love, and the extraordinary relationship between two remarkable women at the dawn of a century of major change.

The Story of Blanche and Marie was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

Pages: 224, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm