Fran Cooper, who grew up in London but spent three years in Paris while writing her PhD, sets her first novel in an unfashionable quarter of the French capital during a hot summer when tensions are rising.
The residents of an apartment complex barely know each other except to exchange a greeting when they pass in the courtyard, but their lives become intertwined as what goes on behind their closed front doors is slowly revealed.
Edward, a young Brit looking to escape his past, arrives and meets a cast of characters including Cesar, who is hiding secrets from his wife; Anais, who is crumbling under the pressure of caring for her young children; and Madame Marin, whose husband turns a blind eye to her nocturnal outings.
There are few real surprises but some drama as riots erupt on the streets and the complex’s residents try to make sense of what is happening.
Cooper avoids turning the less pleasant among them into lazy stereotypes and her three-dimensional characters are what make this novel so readable.
