I do understand why translations don’t always work at our library. Different review sources called Christine Feret-Fleury’s novel, “Delightful”, “Enchanting”, “Life Affirming”. Maybe The Girl Who Reads on the Metro is missing something in Ros Schwartz’ translation. It was an interesting novel because it’s about books, but I wouldn’t refer to it as delightful or enchanting. Just my opinion. I’m going to wait to see what a friend says because I’m handing it to her on Christmas Eve. We’ll see. She reads more literary works than I do.

Juliette is a loner. Her mother kept her safe, and now she remains cocooned in her own little world, taking the Metro back and forth from her office job. She reads, or she studies other people to see what they’re reading. And, because she always takes the same route, she sees some of the same people, the woman who carries an Italian cookbook, the man who reads about insects.

Juliette tried to get excited about finding homes for people, but after one day when she knew she’d never see her clients again, she hears a cry of “Zaide”, and steps into the world of “Books Unlimited”. Soliman, Zaide’s father, is almost buried in a room of books. He asks Juliette if she’ll become a “passeur”, passing the right book to people she observes on the Metro or elsewhere. Juliette impulsively quits her job, paints a room in Soliman’s house, and tries on her new life as a “passeur”.

There are several interesting twists to Juliette’s plans to work for Soliman, twists that would spoil the book for anyone planning to read it. I’ll just say there are several wonderful passages about the love of books, and the shy Juliette who hides from the world takes a startling step into the unknown. Her short time in the world of books gives her courage to step from the shadows into a bigger world.

What kind of person turns their entire world upside down based on a whim? Well, maybe it’s The Girl Who Reads on the Metro. I find it a little unlikely based on Juliette’s personality, but who am I to say books can’t change a life? It’s an interesting book, and that’s my description. I wouldn’t add “delightful” or “enchanting” to the description. I wonder how the book comes across in the original French. Just curious.

The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury. Translated by Ros Schwartz. Flatiron Books, 2019. ISBN 9781250315427 (hardcover), 175p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.