Lisette began to tell Rachel something of her life. Rachel loved to hear other peoples’ stories, although she was never too keen to begin to tell her own. She knew this was always a tentative stage of a friendship. Rachel had often asked herself, ‘Where do I start? How much should I tell?’ Often it was harder to know what to leave out.

Lisette took the lead and began to share. “You’re probably wondering where I come from originally. I was born in Amiens, in France. Bot...