Loved this book and the intertwining characters and their stories. Beautifully and exceptionally written. Oh, and it really made me want to go back to Paris!!
Notable lines:
“The Americans’ faith in the regenerative power of new geography astonishes him. It’s a myth, this idea that you can change who you are simply by climbing on a boat or boarding a train. Some things you cannot leave behind. Your history will pursue you doggedly across frontiers and over oceans. It will slip past the unsmiling border guards, fold itself invisibly into the pages of your passport, a silent, treacherous stowaway.”
“’This is what war does, mon ami. The whole world is holding its breath, waiting for life to begin again.’”
“‘It’s funny, isn’t it . . . All of us escaped America. But here you are, wanting to go the other way.’
‘Everyone is running toward somewhere,’ says Jean-Paul lightly.
‘Except you’re not, are you? You’re still here.’”
“‘And that’s how I want to leave it . . . I want to remember us exactly like this. No fights, no disappointments. No broken hearts. Just a perfect memory.’”