THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles

 

Novels set in WWII continue to fascinate, so much true factual material to create great plot lines and characters. And so much of the stories we are reading are about ordinary people who find themselves doing extra ordinary things. This novel is set, in a most unexpected place - a library. Who would ever think that the stereotype we have librarians being bookish old fuddie duddies could be so wonderfully challenged by the staff and volunteers at the American Library in Paris. This library has its own history, much of it touched upon in this story and there is plenty more on-line. During the war, after the Nazis took over Paris, it was under constant threat of closure, but the staff bravely continued to keep the doors open. 

Some of those staff and readers feature in this story, along with the fictional story of the lead character Odile Souchet. Odile is young, early 20s, passionate about books, reading, and desperate to work at the the library. She gets a job there before the war starts, overjoyed and rapt to be working in a place she has known most of her life. Once the Nazis turn up, of course, things aren't quite so rosy. Odile makes it through the war, but there are many losses of people, books, betrayals, tragedy. 

Parallel to this story, is that of Lily, a teenage girl growing up in a small town in the US during the early 1980s. Odile just happens to be living next door,  a reclusive old lady. Life is a bit tough for Lily with her mother seriously ill then dying. It isn't long before her father remarries, bringing that bucket of problems with it. Through a school assignment Lily befriends Odile, and finds for herself a refuge in Odile's company, wisdom and quiet house. But Odile refuses to divulge anything of her past, how she came to be in the US, what happened to her during the war. Lily begins to develop her own theories with some unhappy consequences.

The historical fiction part of the novel is very good, the author expanding greatly and using some fiction license to make a great story of the WWII story line. She gives a vivid picture  of life in Paris during this time, fear and hunger being the overriding problems that dominate daily life. The mysterious disappearance of anyone who gets in the way of the Nazi regime, the need to be constantly vigilant in one's own behaviour and speech is constantly there. Paris is made to look bleak, which makes the presence of the library, its sanctuary even more powerful and unifying  to the people who work there and use it. 

Where this falls down for me, is the post war 1980s story. I can only think that the author was trying to draw a parallel between the troubles of Odile during the war and the more present troubles of Lily. I know tragedy and life circumstances is all relative, but I did feel it was pushing the boat out comparing Lily losing her mother to illness with what Odile, her family and friends went through some 40 years previous. Lily still has her friends, her father, a house to live in, good food, school to go to every day. She is a typical modern day teenage girl - petulant, self absorbed, and often unlikeable. I do remember what it was like to be this age, and having had two daughters myself feel like I know what I am talking about and not making generalised statements. I am not sure why the author felt she needed to put the story of Lily in. Odile's story, that of the library and the other characters in Paris is a huge story in itself, and I feel could easily have been made bigger. Hence the 3 stars, otherwise is would have been more.