After Paris

After Paris is one of the many books which bounce back and forth between the past and the present. The present day storyline follows Ruby, a young woman recovering from cancer who has recently delved into the mystery behind a French actress who disappeared in 1942, during the Nazi occupation of Paris. The historical storyline follows the actress, Cécile, but through the eyes of a Polish woman who serves as her seamstress and dresser.

Telling two overlapping stories is a difficult balance to pull off, and Taylor doesn’t quite manage it. The first half of the book is heavily Ruby’s story, and while her budding romance with a friend and conflicts with her ex-boyfriend could be compelling, they are overshadowed by the snippets of information we get about Cécile and her role in assisting the French Resistance. Even when Cécile’s story gains more prominence, it never has the weight that it could.

In the end, this book fell flat for me. The two stories felt at odds for most of the book rather than meshing, and the comparisons between surviving cancer and surviving an enemy occupation of one’s city never landed as the author intended.