La Mécanique du cœur (novel)

La Mécanique du cœur, translated into English as The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart or Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart, is a 2007 novel by French writer Mathias Malzieu. It is a fantastical romantic tale set primarily in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the late 19th century.

The story revolves around Jack, a boy born on the coldest day ever recorded. Due to his frozen heart, he is fitted with a cuckoo clock to keep him alive. He is raised by Madeleine, a midwife and healer, who warns him about three crucial rules for surviving with his mechanical heart: he must never touch its hands, he must never lose his temper, and he must never fall in love.

Jack's carefully ordered world is disrupted when he meets Miss Acacia, a young street singer with a captivating voice. Driven by love, Jack leaves Edinburgh and embarks on a journey across Europe to find her, breaking all of Madeleine's rules along the way. The novel explores themes of love, loss, acceptance, difference, and the fragility of life.

Malzieu's writing style is characterized by its poetic language, surreal imagery, and blend of fantasy and reality. The novel was later adapted into a 2014 animated film of the same name, co-directed by Malzieu himself. The film further expanded upon the novel's themes and visual world.