The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel

In addition to just finishing Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbø, I also just finished The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel. I honestly only picked this novel up because it takes place in France and touches upon Paris. I guess I was feeling a particularly acute case of wanderlust at the library last week when selecting reading materials! Most of the fiction I picked up takes place in countries other than my own--the USA. 

Anyhow, I definitely didn't pick it up due to the cover--a rather unpleasing mix of shades of green and yellow that I dislike. And, I didn't pick it up due to the story line--two former lovers meet again on a train. However, I was pleasantly surprised and ended up enjoying this little, fast read so much that I wanted more. 

The 6:41 to Paris is indeed about two former lovers meeting again on a train, 27 years after a relationship that ended suddenly and badly in a room in London--an ending that was so jarring for one of the characters that she never returned to London again, and even went out of her way in all of her travels to avoid the whole of Great Britain. Interestingly, after the end of this love affair, she went on to great success in her life, maybe all the more so because of how the relationship came to an end.

However, the novel does center on both parties from that former affair and is written from both points of view. This was difficult to get used to at first--I had to go back and reread the first several pages as the the author doesn't clearly denote the change of point of view. Eventually, it became clear that the shift in point of views was signaled by the layout of the book with each shift starting much as if it were its own chapter, on a separate page, but even this was without chapter headings or demarcations otherwise. 

This novel takes place almost entirely in the thoughts of the two characters with very brief--and I do mean very brief--bits of dialogue. You get a sense of who these two people were, are, and will become by their thoughts, and as I read, my feelings towards each character shifted from sympathy to frustration to care. I wouldn't necessarily want to sit down to coffee with either of these characters, but that is part of Blondel's genius in this novel. He makes his characters feel REAL. They have the same worries, hopes, frustrations, lingering disappointments, and so on as the rest of us. His characters feel fully formed and human. 

And, the book has such a perfect ending that you can't help but to wonder, what next?

The entire story takes place on a train ride that is less than two hours long, yet the arc of what these characters have been through together and separately spans nearly three decades. 

The 6:41 to Paris is masterful and I will definitely seek out more from Jean-Philippe Blondel!

I rate this as 5 out of 5!

Pick up The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel at your local library or buy it on Amazon HERE.

If you enjoy books set in France, you might also enjoy the memoir Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard.

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Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo

My reading dropped off quite a bit in April and May, but in June I've managed to start and finish two books so far with a few others well under way. 

The first novel that I finished this month is Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbø. This was my first read by Nesbø and I loved it! I as looking for something easy but with a strong enough plot to keep me interested and Midnight Sun was perfect. 

The novel is mostly one of suspense with the occasional bit of thriller thrown in. I can see why some might not enjoy the book as there are several sections where pages upon pages are primarily devoted to the main character's thoughts. But, I like that kind of approach--I enjoy being inside someone else's head, even if it's a fictional character. 

The main character, Jon, is on the run after failing to complete a hit--to kill someone--for his boss. In fact, he'd actually never killed anyone before to begin with. The problem is, his boss, the Fisherman, always gets his guy and never stops looking. So, Jon skips town with pretty much nothing but the clothes on his back and a bunch of money. He finds his way to one of the most remote places in all of Norway, a tiny village that turns out to be a sort of religious enclave with its own secrets, dangers, and stories. He introduces himself by a new name, Ulf, and is suspicious of everyone in the town but two people--a young boy named Knut and Knut's mother, Lea. 

Can you see where this is going?

Of course, there's a bit of a romantic tension and undercurrent and you can see from a mile away that Jon--or Ulf--and Lea are meant for each other. Immediately Ulf and Knut form a bond with Knut becoming a sort of guidepost for Ulf, even if they aren't aware of it. Lea, however, has demons of her own and they come back to haunt her partway through the novel. Meanwhile, Ulf makes a mistake here and there and risks it all for a few seconds with another woman which could potentially be his undoing and the end of him later in the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the mix of tension, suspense, romance, and the rare episodes of humor. I continued to enjoy the book even when I was able to predict what would happen next. It truly kept my attention. It also made me want to visit the remote parts of Norway that set the scene for the novel; although, I will pass at fish balls and some of the other foods mentioned.  

The scenery is as much a character in this novel as the people with wide swaths of open land, rocky shorelines, and a road that winds its way through hills and plateaus to the next town. There's even a bit of nature with an elk--a substory of it's own that was heartbreaking in the end, even though it ends up saving Ulf's life. 

I will definitely reading more of Nesbø's work in the future!

I recommend this book with 5 out of 5 stars.

Pick up Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbø from your local library or from Amazon HERE. 

And, be sure to follow me on Instagram to find out what I'm reading next!

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