The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

Fans of the film Amélie will soak up the Parisian atmosphere of this charming novel. So clever. So French. So enjoyable.

A woman is mugged in the night, her handbag stolen, and she ends up concussed in the hospital. Bookseller Laurent Letellier is on the way to his shop, Le Cahier Rouge, when he finds a handbag in the trash—no money, phone, or identification. You never open a woman's handbag, but with a sense of duty, he tries to discover who the owner is. He has nothing to go on.

Among the contents is a red Moleskine notebook filled with handwritten thoughts. She seems very much like someone he would like to meet. There is also a signed copy of a novel by acclaimed French author Patrick Modiano, a rarity as he never does book signings. This novel is quite in the style of a story by Modiano, centering on mystery, memory, and identity—so much so that Modiano himself becomes a character in Laurent's quest. This mysterious woman is all he thinks about. How the map of Fate leads Laurent to be picking up her dry cleaning and housesitting her home, you will discover. The woman begins her own mystery when she returns to discover someone has been in her flat—and fed her cat. Who was this man who cared for her so? She has nothing to go on.

This was a complete pleasure. It's rare to find a new author that you enjoy so much. Simple yet deep, it hit all the right notes. I have collected all of his award-winning novels now, and for return readers, there are echoes of his first, The Portrait, in this. That her bookshelf is filled (as is mine) with Modiano, Stefan Zweig, Nordic thrillers, and Murakami is a nice touch! Quintessentially French, this is a keeper to own and read again.

"A clever funny novel...a masterpiece of Parisian perfection" HM The Queen

2014 (translated 2015) / Tradeback / 240 pages