The basic premise
of this story is about a young man named Daniel that is fresh out of the war,
where he saw many horrible things that have forever changed him. After the war
he decides to go to Paris to become a writer. Arriving with very little money he
luckily meets and become friends with a book shop owner who gives him a job,
money and a place to live. Also on his first day in Paris there is a murder of
the owner of a local literary magazine, and from this you find out that Daniel
is very perceptive and is pushed to solve the crime, but he does not want to
because to do so would mean he has to face his worst memory.
When it comes to
the story itself, I have to say it is one of the most beautifully written
stories I have read in a while. The language is reminiscent to a beloved
classic novel by a great author from our past. But just because a novel is
beautifully written does it make it worth reading? Personally I find this novel
to be just so-so, meaning the plot of the story is good, but the execution not
so much. The author mentions how many people go to Paris to write because they
know their way around words, but lack the skill to properly write a story, and many
times I felt that this statement rang true for this story. The author is very repetitive in the story,
with Daniel complaining how he cannot write but does not want to do anything
else. Those in the literary community around him try to tell him that he is not
good enough to be a writer so he should work with his strengths and investigate
the murder, but he does not want to do that he wants to write yet he cannot.
Just round and a round and a round. Spoiler though…. He does end up
investigating the murder.
The story is also
very long, especially considering how little happens in it. So in conclusion, I
like the language the author uses and the basic plot, but I wished it was
shorter and had more meat to the plot itself and the fat of the repetitiveness
cut out. So I would rate this a 2.5 or 3 out of 5.
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