'Valérie' Playlist

Music is an insistent energy in 'Valérie'. It might prompt Val to a poetic outburst among mannequins. Or it might have Céleste (uh-oh) decide to robot-dance.

Music played a role outside of the novel too: as she wrote, Zoe Marie Bel would listen to particular performers and songs as an express on-ramp to the storyworld. Here are a selection of songs either cited in the novel or that were often Zoe Marie Bel's inspiration when writing.

Click on any track to listen to it on YouTube.

  • "After our run along Richard Lenoir, Val had returned to that garage and softly played The Seekers on her friend's workbench stereo. Not understanding the English, she'd imagined French lyrics that fit the mood instead."
  • – Part Four, 'Bois de Boulogne'