Paris by the Book: A Novel

In Paris by the Book, author Robert Eady leaves his Wisconsin home one day and disappears without a trace. Initially his wife Leah and two young daughters are not too concerned because he frequently disappeared to write. However, as time passes, the family must consider other possibilities. To confuse matters further, Robert was in the habit of leaving small puzzles and clues for his family before his disappearance. When they discover plane tickets to Paris, Leah and the girls decide to relocate to France, hoping Robert is leading them there. Once there, Leah decides to stay in Paris and buy a bookshop. At the same time, she and the girls continue to contend with strange incidents and possible sightings of Robert that leave them questioning whether he is still alive and why he won’t return to them?

This books grabs the reader in two ways. First, on a superficial level, the question of Robert’s disappearance and the strange clues and sightings make this novel a real page turner. Callanan carefully crafts Robert as a slightly eccentric character and the incidents and sightings are subtle enough that it is impossible to guess whether Robert has created an elaborate scheme or whether these are the imaginings of the three lonely people he left behind. Second, Callanan deftly explores the emotional and psychological limbo in which Robert places his daughters and his wife, who not only faces her own questions but must help her daughters as well. Callanan has written a wonderful novel for those looking for something fresh, thought-provoking, and unpredictable.