The Paris Library: An Impassioned Tale of Life and Hope in the Time of Death and Despair

Khadizatul Kobra Urmy

 

The Paris Library: A Novel, by

Janet Skeslien Charles

Atria Books, 2021

Paperback, 353 pages

ISBN: 9781982134204 (Trade Paperback)

 

A library! A place not only full of books but also full of life vividly depicted on the pages. This is a place where the smell of books makes us forsake our monotonous everyday life for a while, and invites us on a journey to explore and experience the lives lived by the people who dwell in our imagination. When I started reading Janet Skeslien Charles’s novel The Paris Library, my mind drifted back to the days of my adolescence. There was a small public library on our high school premises, of which I was a member. This library was my first doorway to the realm of literature. I still remember the lunch breaks spent there looking for a detective novel or a science fiction. I became so obsessed with reading books and spending time in that library that I secretly cherished the dream to work there and spend all day amidst books. Though this dream remained unfulfilled, this library and its books shaped me as a human being and taught me how to behold the world from a wider range of perspectives. The Paris Library has brought back all those fondling memories and emotions of my bygone days.

In The Paris Library, we live, we love, we dream, and we suffer with Odile Souchet, a young and enthusiastic girl from Paris who aspired to work in the American Library of Paris. Odile’s childhood memories of visiting this library with her dearest aunt Caroline, her obsession with the books and the dewy decimal numbers, the grim fate of aunt Caro and Odile’s realization of the vulnerable state of women in society all worked together to make her pursue her dream while her parents were trying to find a perfect match for her. Eventually, she succeeded in both joining the library and finding the first love of her life, Paul. Odile’s almost perfect life suddenly came to a halt when World War ⅠⅠ broke out and her twin brother, Rémy, who had always been supportive of her dreams, left home to join the army. From here, the novel revolves around the Library and its courageous staff’s indomitable efforts to keep it open for the subscribers during the Nazi occupation of Paris. With much compassion, Charles subtly delineates the lives of a number of people from all walks of life who bonded over their love of books and the passionate attachment to the library. Set in two different time periods, 1939-1944 and 1983-1988, the dual-narrative of the novel shifts between the two narrators, Odile and Lily, and makes the readers embark on an emotional journey from 40s Paris to 80s Froid, Montana. The author tells us how Odile’s life and the relationships with her loved ones were changed forever after the war, and how an aged Odile ended up sharing her untold story with Lily, a teen-age girl. Lily was also dealing with pain and loss, and was struggling hard to cope with the changes in the relationships with her family and friends. Odile found her younger self in Lily which brought them closer. She attempted redemption by not letting Lily make the same mistakes that she made in her life and for which she had to pay a heavy price.

The Paris Library sheds light on the importance of books and libraries during World War ⅠⅠ when millions of people were going through horrific experiences each and every day. Death was lurking around the corner waiting for prey. Apparently, it was not the time to keep visiting libraries and reading books. It was a time for the helpless civilians to suffer, to resist, and ultimately to fight back in their own ways.  Paradoxically, it was also the perfect time for reading to keep the passion and spirit alive, to revive the sense of compassion, to give the wounded soldiers courage to live and fight again, and to relieve the anxious from their worries for the time being. During her employment at the American Library of Paris in 2010 as the programs manager, Charles came to know about the true story of the staff’s keeping this library open during World War ⅠⅠ. Based on the true events, she penned this absolutely heart-wrenching piece of fiction after an extensive research. In her author’s note, Charles clearly declared, “My goal in writing the book was to share this little-known chapter of World War II history and to capture the voices of the courageous librarians who defied the Nazis in order to help subscribers and to share a love of literature.” The American library of Paris remained open during World War ⅠⅠ for its staff and subscribers to share and absorb their worries and pains. The library offered them relief in the form of books, and the valiant librarians at the library showed the courage to keep bringing books to the doorsteps of Jews who were strictly prohibited to enter the library. Charles’s brilliant portrayal of the characters gives the readers an intense feeling of living with the characters assuming the role of their next-door neighbours, and a chance to witness and feel the intensity of their happiness and agonies.

Paris, the booklovers of Paris, and the American library of Paris during World War II have been woven together in the title, The Paris Library. This novel not only delineates the war happening outside, but also the war inside. How did the common people feel when the war broke out? How did they cope with the ever-growing uncertainty of life and the irresistible tension for the well-being of their loved ones? How did they deal with the crisscrossing surge of emotions while grieving for the loss? And, what happened to them who promised to get through this together? The Paris Library tells the tale of life, hope, and love of literature in the time of death and despair when people were used to saying goodbye to their dear ones. They saw the sweet relationships shatter into pieces. People were forced to live amidst the fear of losing the familiar ground beneath them. War destroys not only lives, cities, and civilization, but also dreams, feelings, friendships, and the sense of humanity at the same time. This novel exposes the horror of war, and speaks of peace and humanity.

Charles presented the library as a symbol for the dreamt utopia where there are no borders and boundaries; where anybody regardless of age, religion, nationality, and culture finds comfort; where humans are really kind, compassionate, and humane. The library symbolizes the world every rational human being wants to live in. The world that teaches its people how to stand for each other in the hours of distress and sufferings and work relentlessly in order to establish peace, and never lets its inhabitants bow their heads before anarchy, cruelty, and inhumanity. In this novel, Margaret and the German soldier, two apparently enemies crossed the barriers and bonded over a mere novel. The novel shows the power of books and a possibility to recreate a better world through the shared love and passion for literature. Charles subtly touched social issues like the vulnerability of married women, the consequences they face if they disagree to go on with their miserable married life, and the obstacles women face in pursuing their dreams which are still relevant in the context of 21^st century. The Paris Library urges its female readers not to stop dreaming and spreading their wings no matter how dire the situation is. This is also a marvelous tale of genuine friendship and human connection. Charles beautifully upholds the value of female friendship through her portrayal of the female characters. The friendship between Lily and Mary Louise brings back the memories of both Odile-Bitsi, and Odile-Margaret. While talking to Lily, Odile resembles both Miss Reeder and Professor Cohen. The conversations between Odile and Lily remind the readers of the sweetest moments of Odile’s good old days with Miss Reeder and Professor Cohen. This novel tells the women to support and inspire each other in order to overcome all the obstacles to fulfill their goals in their personal as well as professional life.

However, this novel might leave the readers with a number of unanswered questions. What happened to Maman, Papa, and Paul? Did Paul ever have true regrets for his action? Was it possible for Odile to mend the broken pieces of relationships and make contacts with the close ones from her past life? Did Lily try to do something on her own to fix Odile’s life during her visit to Paris? The readers’ hearts will surely long for the answers. However, that will not stop the readers from celebrating the generation-old culture of books, libraries, and the love of literature while reading The Paris Library.