I love Historical Fiction novels. The Paris Library does not disappoint. It follows the same formula a lot of these type of books are known for. It tells the story in the past and in the present day or somewhere close to that, with someone that had a hand in what happened then. This time it’s set in Paris starting in 1939 and in Montana starting in 1983.
Odile Souchet is interviewing for a job at the Paris Library in 1939. She’s really excited about it as it has been a dream of hers for years. She thinks she botched the interview and sends a follow up note and then ends up getting the job. This is before the war has started and Germany has invaded France. Then things start to change. Her twin brother enlists in the service, the Germans invade France and head toward Paris. Odile is not deterred and stays on working at the library. Soon they have books taken away, told no Jews can come there or have books. They soon start a secret delivery service (part of the resistance) to make sure everyone can still have their books.
Odile is also seeing a police officer and soon falls in love. But bad things start to happen and she has accidentally betrayed a friend and soon learns the consequences of that. She also finds out her brother has been captured and imprisoned. And then she has to make a shocking decision.
Lily lives with her Mother and Father in Montana in 1983. She has a neighbor Odile Gustafson, who lives in the house behind hers. She keeps to herself a lot and Lily is intrigued by her. When she does a project on France she gets Odile to help her and they become friends and it brings Odile out of her shell. Lily soon learns French from her and hangs with her a lot. When tragedy strikes Lily’s family Odile is there to help. When Lily snoops a bit at Odile’s house she soon wonders who she really is. Was she a spy during WW II? We soon learn all of Odile’s secrets and why she ended up in Montana and what really happened during her days in France.
At it’s core this is a story about friendship between an older lady and a teenage girl who needs the love and care of a mother figure. I learned a lot of new things reading this book (as I do most Historical Fiction novels) and you just fall in love with Odile and Lily right from the beginning. And don’t want to put down the book so you can read and understand what happened to Odile all those years ago. Just a really well-done novel by Janet Skeslien Charles.
You can pick up The Paris Library in stores on Tuesday, February 9th from Atria.