French Windows

Nathalia, a photographer, has witnessed a murder. Not only that, she has photographed the murder, and now she finds herself in therapy lying on the couch in Dr. Faber’s office, trying to talk about her experience and how it’s left her unable to work or write. When Nathalia appears unable to elaborate on her problem, he suggests she write stories about the residents of her building to help ease her creative writing block. During the process, she describes the lives and experiences of the five-floor apartment building. Still, Dr. Faber isn’t sure if her stories are fiction or in some way a projection of herself, drawing him in and forcing him to find out more than he should about his patient. The stories she presents are illuminating and entertaining until she gets to the last floor, leading to a revelation Dr. Faber may or may not have seen coming.

French Windows oozes Parisian perfection with a good dose of mystery, intrigue, and suspense from a master storyteller. I think this might be my favorite one yet by Antoine Laurain. I can’t wait to see what he does next.