FROM THE BOOK JACKET: Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.
Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbors mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.
AUTHOR INFO: Janet Skeslien Charles is the award-winning author of
Moonlight in Odessa, which was published in ten languages. Her shorter work has appeared in revues such as
Slice and
Montana Noir. Janet first became interested in the incredible true story of the librarians who stood up to the Nazi Book Protector when she worked as the programs manager at the American Library in Paris. Her novel
The Paris Library will be published in seventeen countries. She divides her time between Montana and Paris.