Reviews

Bound to become a best seller, de Rosnay's latest (after Sarah's Key) is a taut, suspenseful, elegant novel with a secret at its heart that has the power to destroy one of the most wealthy families in contemporary Paris. As it begins, Antoine Rey, our narrator, is in a hospital waiting room eager to hear whether his beloved sister, Melanie, survived the car crash that brought him there. The two were driving back to Paris after a weekend at Noirmoutier Island, a getaway planned by Antoine as a surprise for Melanie's 40th birthday. As they reprise memories of the Rey family vacations on the island, including one trip shortly before their mother died, Melanie realizes the truth of the old family mystery, revealed as bits of memory pieced together along with a bit of detective work. This startling revelation causes her to drive the car off the road, endangering her life and her brother's. By the end of the story, Antoine, Melanie, and their friends and family suffer several deaths, culminating in a vision for the future that makes life and their fleeting moments of happiness all the more precious. Verdict The reader will immediately become submerged in the world de Rosnay so beautifully creates and will turn the pages quickly; it's not hard to imagine downing this in one or two sittings. Different from the historical Sarah's Key but with as profound an effect; highly recommended and bravo!-Lisa Rohrbaugh, National Coll. Lib., Youngstown, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.