Review of 'The Last Restaurant in Paris' by Lily Graham
The Last Restaurant in Paris by Lily Graham
Release date: July 18th, 2022
REVIEW
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I absolutely loved The Last Restaurant in Paris! This emotionally jarring dual timeline historical mystery novel is filled with family secrets, surprising discoveries and interesting twists of fate. This would have been a hard novel to write with such a challenging message at its core but Lily has done an incredible job. Even with its complex plot, various viewpoints and time shifts, I was able to follow it easily for Lily has a way of pulling you into the heart of the story immediately so that you become part of the scenes and characters’ lives.
The Last Restaurant in Paris is a unique World War II novel set in Paris about a woman name Marianne Blanchet who is accused of poisoning a number of Nazi soldiers and a couple of Parisians at her restaurant one evening (that was closed to the public to entertain special guests). The question on everyone’s mind is: was it an accident or deliberate? And, if the latter, what was her motive? How could she take such a risk— especially considering the consequences? The story explores the reasons and their effects on everyone connected to her. It is a battlefield of emotions. A moral dilemma. An emotionally charged journey through a minefield of both questionable and innocent characters. Is she a ‘traitor and murderer’ as the words state, scratched on the windows of her restaurant? The community despised her because they believed she was a collaborator of the enemy. She had accepted the help of the Nazis in opening the restaurant. They wanted home cooked style meals. But what did she hope to gain by such a venture? Why did she join forces with them at all if her plan was to kill them? Was she courageous, foolish or dangerous?
In the modern timeline, granddaughter Sabine Duchelle discovers through a lawyer that she has inherited a restaurant in Paris that has a sordid history. It was owned by her grandmother who also had a shocking past. Looking at legal documents, her mother’s parentage comes into question. Sabine must go on a quest to answer the questions that arise from this new inheritance. She heads to the restaurant that has been closed for 40 years, and meets Gilbert, an old man. He was one of the workers from the restaurant’s dubious era and, of course, knew Marianne. Through discussions, Sabine gets to know the grandmother she never met through his words of the experiences he had. She learns many things that give her a whole new picture of her family’s history. Yet, Gilbert only knows so much, so he joins Sabine on a journey to find more answers. For even he is keen to uncover why or if this woman he adored purposely killed these people. What they all learn is quite different from what they expected. Many secrets and unknowns are shaken from the dust of the past and new images are conjured of what life was like for Marianne and what led to the event that dreadful night. Besides the Nazis who died, there were two other Parisians: one of great importance to Gilbert.
From the start, I was intrigued and personally found the plot, setting and characters well-presented and they kept me glued to the pages. It is a story that explores the actions and reactions of everyday citizens during war and how loss can change people or send them down a path they would not normally have gone. There is obsession, vengeance and cruelty on one side and then there is purpose, courage and kindness on the other side of human nature. Are we one kind or the other? Or can we have in our personalities a mixture of both? What experiences will draw out the darker side of our hearts? And once given over to an evil plan, is there anything that will bring the person back into the light to a place of balance?
As the story unveils all its mysteries, the question of whether Marianne is a heroine or traitor is answered. The truth is painful but those connected to this woman and events find a new understanding of what this woman was all about: her difficult childhood, her love, her losses and the choices she made to try and right some wrongs. This gives Sabine a new perspective on life and provides Gilbert with peace. Out of the ashes springs hope and new beginnings. And Sabine now knows what to do with her new inheritance.
This story of tragedy, identity, endurance and sacrifice is haunting and timeless. Again, things are not always as they appear but truth eventually rises to the surface— out of the mirky depths and into the light for all to see. I highly recommend this powerful, complex, moving novel by Lily Graham that will both break and heal your heart. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a review copy.
