David Foenkinos imagines the life of the boy passed over in the final round for the movie role of Harry Potter. A kind and sensitive novel about life after failure.

In 1999, casting began for the role of Harry Potter. Hundreds of young actors auditioned, and in the end, there were only two left. This is the story of the one who wasn't chosen for the part. Martin Hill was born in London in 1989. Still a child when his parents divorced, he was raised in London and Paris, where his mother had settled. One day, while on set with his propmaster father, Martin is spotted by the producer of Harry Potter. He goes through several rounds of auditions, but during the final round, gets passed over. All of Martin's hopes crumble, and he must now live in the shadow of his ubiquitous rival. How is he supposed to get over this failure? Has life passed him definitively by?