France-1: "I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere" by Anna Gavalda

"I Wish Someone Were Waiting For Me Somewhere" explores how a life can be changed irrevocably in just one fateful moment. A pregnant mother's plans for the future unravel at the hospital; a travelling salesman learns the consequences of an almost-missed exit on the motorway in the newspaper the next morning; while a perfect date is spoilt by a single act of thoughtlessness. In those crucial moments Gavalda demonstrates her almost magical skill in conveying love, lust, longing, and loneliness.

Someone I Loved is a hauntingly intimate look at the intolerably painful, yet sometimes valuable consequences that adultery can have on a marriage and the individuals involved. A simple tale, yet long in substance, Someone I Loved ends like most great love affairs, forever leaving you wanting just one more moment

This collection of short stories by Anna Gavalda won the Academie Francaise Short Story Award in 2000. The citation mentions the 'dry wit and almost involuntary elegance' apparent in the twelve stories..