In this engaging short read, Antoine Laurain presents us with a somewhat traditional premise: photographer, Nathalia tells her psychoanalyst Dr Faber that she is unable to work after witnessing a murder, but she is unwilling to share any personal information with him that could help him help her.
In an attempt to get her to open up, Faber challenges her with the unconventional: write about one of her neighbors each week to introduce them to Faber through her words. What Nathalia provides are Read Window-esqe stories, including a great amount of personal details about each of them as she works through the floors of her building. But are the stories truth or fiction, and do they contain any personal details about Nathalia herself? Faber finds himself gaining a sense of fatherly concern for her the more that they meet. Little does he know how closely interwoven their lives already are.
French Windows has a leisurely style but due to its short length, it quickly reaches its tense conclusion. I highly recommend, and it was very close to a 5 star for me. Although we never meet Nathalia's neighbors other than through her writing, all of their stories bring them to life.
ARC was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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