Taken as a whole, these frank statements reveal a diverse account of love in the 21st century. For a woman in an abusive relationship love means “suffering”. Annick (54), who nearly left her husband when he had an affair, defines love as “a continuous series of choices. Of renunciation”. Patrick and Hervé (“the first gay couple to get married in the Gard region”) think “love is getting older together”. An 82-year-old retired mason, Lucien, echoes this. His wife has just died, and he talks movingly to Rousselle about his loss: “In the winter, we would watch television, then sit near the fire and fall asleep in our respective chairs. We were happy. I always hoped it would last forever. It didn’t.” Rousselle’s road trip clearly worked; these conversations about love and relationships restored her faith. She concludes: “Yes, we are imperfect beings, but we have something that links us together, and that is sublime: Love. Amour.”
