The 6:41 To Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel, is one of a string of new French novels I've discovered.
A European bestseller, this is an intimate two person story that is clever and slightly suspenseful.
Cecile returns to Paris on the 6:41 train after a stressful visit with her parents. Philipe Leduc is the man who sits down next to her, and she instantly recognizes him. They once dated for a short time thirty years ago, ending in a humiliating break-up.
Oh. My. God.
Philippe Leduc. If I had only known. It's unbearable.
What I feel now is pure hatred.
We learn the story through alternating sides - She is so disgusted she can't look at him, wondering what happened to a once attractive man, whereas he remembers the time positively and thinks he might still have another chance. Their most private thoughts reveal their story, and the tension that still connects them to their past relationship.
This was a short novel, a simple story with a dual narrative that was gripping in the sense that it was hard to put down, easily read in one sitting. We get to know them intimately, which is why I disliked the last page, an ending I didn't agree with.
An interesting find, and recommended.
2013 (as 06h41) Translated 2015 / Tradeback / 146 pages
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