Pages: 416
Published: 9th February 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction
Content warnings: Anti-Semitism, bullying, sexual content
Paris, 1939. Odile Souchet is obsessed with books and the Dewey Decimal System, which makes order out of chaos. She soon has it all – a handsome police officer beau, an English best friend, a beloved twin, and a job at the American Library in Paris, a thriving community of students, writers, diplomats, and book lovers. Yet when war is declared, there’s also a war on words.
Montana, 1983. Widowed and alone, Odile suffers the solitary confinement of small-town life. Though most adults are cowed by her, the neighbour girl will not let her be. Lily, a lonely teenager yearning to break free of Froid is obsessed by the older French woman who lives next door and wants to know her secrets.
As the two become friends, Odile sees herself in Lily – the same love of language, the same longings, the same lethal jealousy.
This is an enlightening and often poignant portrayal not only of one of the lesser known aspects of the Second World War, but also the topics of self-discovery and learning from past mistakes. Told using the perspectives of two exceptionally developed characters across dual timelines, it carries a lot of meaning while underling the beauty and power of books.
As a historical fiction it contains no shortage of atmosphere and attention to detail, although it is primarily driven by the formative journey of the two intriguing female narrators, who find a lot in common despite facing very different challenges. It is generally fast-paced and gripping throughout, with the main regret being the lack of depth afforded to certain themes and plot points.
It is France in the late 1930s, and having memorised the entire Dewey Decimal system, Odile secures her dream job sharing her love of books with the public at the American Library in Paris. There she develops close bonds with her colleagues and subscribers, finding a new best friend in affluent Englishwoman Margaret and falling in love with Paul, the latest in a long line of potential suitors put forth by her father.
However, her perfect life is turned upside down when her brother Remy conscribes to the army and the Second World War breaks out. As Paris is taken over by the invading German forces and groups of people face severe persecution, the library remains open in a determined effort to serve its subscribers, and at great personal risk. When Odile learns that Remy has been taken prisoner, she and his fiancée Bitsi anxiously wait for news, while she refuses to marry Paul until he is home safe.
Over forty years later in the US state of Montana, a teenage girl named Lily finds herself lost as her mother falls seriously ill and only has her best friend Mary Louise to turn to. That is until she knocks on the door of her solitary neighbour, the widowed Odile Gustafson. The two become very close and Lily is inspired by Odile, who is still holds many secrets from her previous life in Paris.
The plot is fascinating and it was easy to feel invested in the story from an early stage as it travels at a surprisingly fast pace and submerges you in the world of the library. Through Odile’s eyes, it impressively conveys the shift from normality to constant fear as the war takes hold and gradually progresses. There are several sad and meaningful moments, the most compelling of which comes towards the end where she discovers the anonymous letters and comes to a horrifying realisation.
It was also moving to read about Odile’s friendship with Lily in the later timeline, which raised a lot of questions and made you want to continue turning the pages and find out how Odile came to be living alone in the United States. However, while all of this did showcase strong and powerful storytelling, there were moments that were glossed over too quickly and needed more depth.
The majority of the book is told in the first person, with at least two thirds of it taking place in the earlier timeline and narrated by Odile, although there is the occasional chapter written in the third person that focuses on one of the supporting characters. Meanwhile, the later timeline is told entirely from Lily’s perspective, which was just as engaging.
Odile is an interesting character to follow and is mostly likeable. Her love of books is evident from the start and she clearly has a helpful and caring personality, but there are also times where she comes across as extremely naïve and begrudging. This all combines to make her very well developed, and we see that even more in the later timeline where she is noticeably wiser and has learnt from her past mistakes.
As for Lily, the writing really brings out her insecurities and it makes you empathise with her a lot, with the many burdens she feels in her family life. Although her circumstances and point of view were much different, there were comparisons to be made between her and what Odile was like in the earlier timeline, and that became even clearer towards the end.
Another heartwarming friendship was that of Odile and Margaret, even if it does have an ending that is bittersweet to say the least. Margaret was another likeable character with the odd flaw, and I enjoyed her spirit and positivity. Miss Reeder and many of the other library staff were based on real people; to know that truly adds more weight to the story and you end up growing to care for them.
For a book set primarily in the Second World War it brings great emotion and detail, but the author failed to bring wartime Paris to life in the way I expected. Apart from at the library and the sense of foreboding which arose from the plot, there was a relative lack of atmosphere and so it was hard to feel fully immersed, though on the plus side it was nice to read something in this time period from a French perspective.
The writing is concise and contains a reasonable amount of imagination and flair, even if it is a bit too sentimental in places. It sped along at a swift pace and that remains true towards the end, where most of the loose ends are tied up very well, especially in the later timeline. As for how Odile came to be in the United States, that was not quite so perfectly thought through.
Overall, this is something that completely delivers in terms of character development, which along with the role of the library and emotional heft of both timelines, pave the way for a fascinating story. With some extra depth and some more light shone upon the setting it could have been amazing, but it still ranks as a highly enjoyable read.
Just like Odile in this story, Janet Skeslien Charles divides her time between Paris and Montana, and was inspired to write The Paris Library after working at the American Library in Paris, where the book is largely set.
Published in 2021, it is her second novel and has achieved widespread success, following her debut Moonlight In Odessa back in 2009. She enjoys reading, travelling, and spending time with her family.
A very good book that had me taken by the story and the brilliantly developed characters, but just lacking that something extra that would have made it a favourite.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Stephen Reads Books 