Menton is a coastal town of about 30,000 permanent inhabitants, situated on the French side of the French-Italian border. It’s tucked between the soaring rocks of the Alpes Maritimes and the wide blue Mediterranean. The micro-climate makes it ideal for growing lemons, aubergines and tomatoes; and popular with holiday-makers and retirees. The location right on the border makes it a place of passage and migration, legal or illegal. We became aware of something lurking, you might say, under the postcard – an uneasy tension between the gorgeous lush gardens, large villas, endless sunshine and happy travellers; and the stream of Tunisian and other African migrants turned back as they tried to cross from Italy to France. These contrasts and difficulties worked their way into my writing, for example in a short story called ‘Market Day’ that was published on Reading Room in June 2024. You can read it here.