One thing everyone who knows me knows about me is that I have a deep love and longing of all things Paris. So anytime I find myself in a book store and stumble upon a book that is French inspired, I can’t help but pick it up and have a look, ever hopeful that I can get lost in a version of a fictional Paris when I am unable to visit the City of Lights myself.
The Left Bank follows the shallow and self-centered, unhappily married power couple Oliver and Madison Malin. Madison is an American beauty from Texas who has spent years ridding herself of any trace of her roots in favor of french refinement, becoming fluent in French by living and working as an actress in Paris. Oliver is from a once-titled family and is a modern philosopher using his charm and good looks to his advantage, often hosting discussions in Parisian cafes on topics of the day while using his position and public image to engage in dalliances with whoever catches his eye. While on a family outing at an amusement park they begin yet another fight in front of their young daughter who decides she’s had enough and disappears. While they frantically search for her and in the days following the disappearance, Madison has deep insights into her character, her role as a mother, her feelings about her daughter as well as her feelings towards her cheating husband. She is forced to decide what kind of person and mother she wants to be all the while worried that her living and lifestyle may be threatened if she is no longer attached publically to Oliver.
As I was getting to know this couple, I couldn’t help but despise them. They are simply not very likeable people. But as they become immersed in every parent’s worst nightmare, new layers of these characters are exposed; their emotions are raw and their interactions are real and I couldn’t help but sympathize with them. Ok, I’ll be honest. As a mother, I could sympathize with Madison. Oliver strikes me as the type of man who looks good on the outside and says all the right things but never manages to evolve beyond a slime ball and sadly, that is part of his charm.
This book is filled with little cafes, wine, delicious food and scenic streets which speak to my very soul. It also captures what the French are famous for: elegance and pretentiousness mixed with haughtiness and love affairs. It was a quick read but long enough to transport me briefly to la ville de ma coeur. Until next time…have you read a book today?
Julie
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