THE PARIS HOURS

Narrator Raphael Corkhill's unwavering enthusiasm amps up this dynamic novel about four people in Paris over the course of a day in 1927. Camille, former maid to Marcel Proust, has a secret. Armenian refugee Souren is a puppeteer with a haunting adolescence. Journalist Jean-Paul hides behind his subjects rather than face his tragic story. Artist Guillaume is desperate with debt, but a chance meeting surprises him for multiple reasons. Corkhill's impeccable French accent easily shifts to butchered French for the speech of tourists. There is a sense of urgency in his fast pace during moments of action, and he evokes emotion in a voice thick with tears and fearful directives. The story's complexity is assisted by distinct character voices. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2020]