Paris Library

Paris, 1939. Odile Souchet finds order in the Dewey Decimal System, and she loves it for the way it tames chaos. Her life seems full: a police officer sweetheart, a close English friend, a twin she adores, and a post at the American Library in Paris, where students, writers, diplomats and readers gather. Then war is declared, and a different battle begins, one fought over words.

Montana, 1983. Odile is a widow living in near isolation in a small town, where most adults keep their distance from her. A lonely teenager next door, Lily, is desperate to escape Froid and becomes fixated on the older Frenchwoman, determined to learn her secrets. As the two grow closer, Odile recognizes her younger self in Lily: the same love of language, the same longings, and the same dangerous envy.

The two timelines explore the relationships that shape us, including family, friendship, first love and the authors we treasure. The novel also looks at resentment, the damage done by betrayal that goes unspoken, and what happens when the people we rely on for understanding and protection let us down.

The book also brings to light a little-known chapter of the Second World War. Miss Reeder, an American librarian, created the Soldiers' Service to send books to servicemen. Later she confronted the Nazi 'Book Protector' to keep the library open, and she and her colleagues delivered books to Jewish readers after they were barred from entering. A cast of lively historical characters brings this period to life.