The Paris Apartment / Lucy Foley

 

2.5 out of 5 stars

I finished this just under the wire—my RL book club meets this evening to discuss it. And that discussion may help me figure out exactly how I feel about it.

We meet Jess at the beginning of the book, when she is the poor little sister. She’s been working crappy jobs at bars in London, being sexually harassed by her boss. She empties the till, barricades her boss in the men's room, and gets out of Dodge. Her brother Ben has reluctantly said she can stay with him in his Paris apartment (hence the title of this novel), but he's not there when she arrives. She picks the lock and examines his living space, trying to figure out where he's gone. Foley reveals details on a slow release schedule, giving us the view of just about everyone in the apartment building. The reader learns things right along with Jess, as she searches for her missing brother.

Although it seems at first that Jess is semi-feral, borderline criminal, from growing up in the foster system, she turns out to be one of the straighter arrows among the collection of characters. We begin with the belief that Ben is the lucky one, the one who was adopted by the wealthy family. Then Foley begins to dish the dirt on everyone, a shovel full at a time, until nobody is squeaky clean. It becomes obvious that Ben had planned a campaign when he asked his friend Nick for a place to live.

I'm not sure why, but I got some of the same vibe as The Glass Hotel. Probably because of the aura of high living from sketchy sources. With so many despicable people and their masquerade as decent folk, I couldn't help but think of books like Gone Girl. What used to be novel and exciting has become rather shop worn and tired.

I got the impression that Ben was at best a narcissist, at worst a sociopath. Willing to do almost anything to get what he wants, willing to take ridiculous risks, and not at all concerned about his sister or his friends. When he helps them, it's to keep them in the dark about his real plan or his true self. Cold, calculating, wanting to have the people around him dance to his tune. Charming his way as he goes.

The twist at the end was less shocking than it was meant to be. Disappointing, really. Then Foley very neatly squares away all the odds and ends, leaving everything tied up in a bow. Very unrealistic to have something so messy disposed of so easily.