What a powerful heartbreaking WW2 love story interwoven with rapturous music (I know by the descriptions) and mouth watering foods. Chefs and musicians are at the heart of this tale that begins in Paris 1942 and spins its tangled threads across the portals of time to modern day London and Bonn 2002.
The novel opens in Paris with a bang as Lisette is in the grips of decision. The war outside is raging and closing in. While bombs are going off, she makes the hardest choice of her life. She must abandon her lover and head for safety. The Prologue throws us into the heart of the action and reveals a moment in the past of significance. Then the chapters that follow unveil everything that led up to that point. I found reading the start again once I finished the novel was very helpful. It took me full circle. Lisette’s departure on that day causes a massive fallout that reverberates into years of loneliness, heartache and missed opportunities. As these two hearts shatter, the damage that follows will bleed into others’ lives.
The Paris Affair is a very romantic war mystery full of secret identities, double agents and hard choices. The past sweeps into the present with monumental effects like storm waves on a shoreline. Here, we find Christoph with serious health issues. He has been losing his memories of the past and Julia wishes to help him reclaim what he has lost. She finds the recipe book of Sylvie’s and begins cooking the dishes to help him remember. Food has powerful connections to our emotions and can evoke memories.
Julia is a concert pianist who was mentored by Christoph (a master of the keys). Although the piano has always been a very important refuge to her, since the death of her mother she has been unable to perform properly and is suddenly gripped by fear and bad dreams. Is there a connection to her loss? The novel explores this possibility.
The Paris Affair is brilliantly written and has much to offer the reader in both timelines. Christoph is the main ingredient between them as he is in both. The vehicle that carries the story from the past to the present is the special recipe book once owned by French Chef Sylvie. Her foods and beauty captivate many, including a German Kommandant but more importantly the heart of his administrative assistant Herr Leutnant Baumann (Christoph). His first meeting with her is a memorable one at the restaurant. I really enjoyed Christoph’s tasting experience after the Kommandant offers him a spoonful of dessert to try. In fact, the food descriptions made my mouth water: particularly the crème brûlée that Sylvie makes!
We see very quickly Christoph is nothing like the ones he serves. He is not happy at what the Nazis are doing. He is in his position out of necessity to protect his family—particularly his sister who is what the Germans would say is less that a perfect specimen. Her life is under threat as a result. And when he witnesses an incident of Jews being rounded up, their cries pierce his heart and haunt him. Because he is unable to do anything, he feels shame and deep sadness for the people being wronged. We see the true Christoph when he walks through the cemetery looking for poet Baudelaire’s memorial. There he remembers a line: ‘How little remains of the man I once was, save the memory of him! But remembering is only a new form of suffering.’
The story is told from various perspectives: Lisette and Christoph in 1942, Julia, Christoph and Clara in the current timeline. So, we are able to be part of their most intimate thoughts, their suffering and inner battles. Not only do we have one romance from the past to follow but also one in the present: Daniel and Julia’s. As they work out the mystery from the past, their relationship begins to change and old wounds heal.
Sylvie and Julia’s ‘acts of love’ (as one character describes cooking) lead them on a quest. Through the recipes, clues, actions and thoughts we learn what broke the couples, rearranged their priorities, challenged their devotion to others but never let them fall out of love for each other.
This is a timeless tale, a modern Romeo and Juliet or Catherine and Heathcliff romance in many ways as Sylvie and Christoph are on opposite sides—drawn together in a forbidden relationship. (There’s a bit of this in Julia’s and Daniel’s relationship, too). Christoph is German and Sylvie is French. He is kind and caring with a compassion for the downtrodden; a brilliant musician who opposes what the Nazis are doing. Although his nationality and position represent everything that goes against who Sylvie is, she is caught by his humanity in her moments of weakness. Her attraction to him is strong and he is captivated by her determination. Strangely she feels safe in his arms and he is at home in hers. But reality shakes her when she is away from him and she is reminded of her hatred for the Nazis. Hitler’s men destroyed her family and fiance and she wants to retaliate. Her decision to join the resistance is fuelled by the injustice. But it is a dangerous path for one who is wounded and feels helpless. It is understandable she wants to make a difference and fight back in memory of her loved ones. But what happens when she comes up against a German who does not fit her generalisation? This makes the reader aware we cannot tar everyone of one nationality with the same brush. Otherwise, we are repeating the same prejudice.
This debut novel has amazing emotional depth, profound wisdom and a flawless delivery. It squeezed every piece of my heart until it hurt. It should come with a warning: all emotions known to humans will be experienced while reading this novel! Despite the pain(!) I loved it immensely and look forward to more wonderful stories by Fiona Schneider. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for a review copy.
