The Paris Library: A Novel

Published in 2021, Janet Skeslien Charles’s The Paris Library: A Novel tells the story of the American Library in Paris during the Nazi occupation. This work of historical fiction, based on a true story, highlights courage, the importance of keeping intellectual curiosity alive, and the meaning and value of friendship. The main character, Odile, narrates the time in Paris, while a secondary narrator—a young girl named Lily, who is coming of age in a small Montana town in the 1980s—allows the author to revisit Odile later in life and emphasize the timelessness of friendship.

Charles once worked at the American Library in Paris as a programs manager and now divides her time between Paris and Montana. The novel—a New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today bestseller—is one of five finalists for the 2021 American Library in Paris Book Award.

Plot Summary

Young Odile is independent and headstrong. Profoundly influenced by her mother’s disowning of beloved Aunt Caro—who divorced for good reason—Odile is determined to not depend on men for financial security. Given her love of books and enchantment with the Dewey Decimal System, Odile seeks and secures a job at the American Library in Paris in the months before World War II. Her conservative parents, especially her father, would rather Odile married than worked. However, her twin brother, Rémy, with whom she’s close, and Paul, her new suitor, are supportive. Odile loves her job at the Library, where she finds belonging among kindred spirits. It’s a community of the intellectually curious as well as English speakers looking for a home in Paris. Margaret, an English woman in a loveless marriage, finds a home at the Library and begins a friendship with Odile. Strong and kind women, such as Professor Cohen of the Sorbonne and Library Directress Miss Reeder, are role models for Odile.

Few in Paris recognize the looming threat of war. Among those who do is Rémy, who—to his family’s horror—joins the French army. Odile initially blames Bitsi, Rémy’s love and her friend, for his decision but later repairs the friendship. Professor Cohen, who is Jewish, is another who sees war coming. When war breaks out, the Nazis are soon in Paris. Rémy is wounded in the early fighting and then in a prisoner-of-war camp, where he later perishes. Miss Reeder, an American, vows to stay in Paris to direct the Library but must leave when America’s entry into the war becomes imminent. Nazi book inspector Dr. Fuchs, initially feared, turns out to be sympathetic to the Library. However, he forbids Jewish subscribers from entry. In defiance of this edict, the Library workers deliver books to the homes of Jewish subscribers. Odile personally delivers books to Professor Cohen. Charles emphasizes the significance of this resistance by highlighting the role that books play in transporting people from their own situations and engaging their empathy and minds. This role is especially crucial in the difficult conditions of occupied Paris, where food is increasingly scarce, and the arrest of Jewish citizens and “enemy aliens” is a constant threat.

A story of love, friendship, and betrayal, The Paris Library describes Odile’s developing love for Paul, a police officer of low rank. After a scold at the Library informs on Professor Cohen, it’s Paul who arrests her. Odile’s father, a police captain, must investigate the thousands of tips from informants. When Odile goes to his office to appeal for help finding Professor Cohen, she sees these crow letters, named for the “black-hearted” people who inform on their neighbors. Her father refuses to help the Professor. Later, Odile returns to her father’s office twice to steal some of these letters and spare a few people. Catching her the second time, Odile’s father explains that he could be executed for failing to investigate tips and tells Odile not to return. Both Odile’s father and Paul are working under the Nazis’ direction. Increasingly angry at his subordinate role to the Nazis and his humiliating tasks, Paul has outbursts of anger directed mainly at French women consorting with German soldiers. This anger alarms Odile though her love for him is undaunted.

Margaret is arrested as an “enemy alien,” but a sympathetic German releases her—and then becomes her lover. With his help, Margaret procures food and other items, which she shares with Odile. Margaret eventually tells Odile the secret of her German lover. Odile is initially angry but understands Margaret’s predicament. The friendship between the two has grown so strong that Odile wants Margaret to be her matron of honor when she marries Paul, who has proposed to her. Still, Odile harbors jealousy toward Margaret for her wealth—and resents her criticisms of the French army. In a moment of anger, Odile reveals Margaret’s secret to Paul but immediately regrets doing so. When Paris is liberated, Paul and another police officer encounter Margaret on the street. Acting in anger, Paul beats Margaret and cuts off her hair, branding her as a harlot. As a result, Margaret’s husband leaves her and takes their daughter. Odile, who recently eloped with Paul at his urgent request, has no idea what happened and worries when Margaret doesn’t attend a party for her and Paul at the Library. When Odile visits Margaret, she’s horrified. Margaret blames her for divulging the secret and never wants to see her again. Giving her a belt, Margaret tells Odile to remember the meaning of friendship when she wears it. After roaming the streets of Paris, Odile gravitates to the American Hospital, where she once volunteered and does so again. There she meets an American soldier, agrees to marry him, and leaves Paris without ever seeing her family and friends again.

Almost 40 years later, Lily befriends Odile, who lives alone and is isolated. Odile’s husband and son are deceased. Although Lily doesn’t know it, Odile is about to kill herself when Lily knocks on her door the first time. Instead, Odile consents to an interview for Lily’s project about France. Intellectually curious and socially awkward at times, Lily reminds Odile of her younger self. The two form a bond, which deepens when Lily’s mother dies. Soon thereafter, Lily’s father remarries. Using her own life experiences, Odile guides Lily to accept her overprotective father and her stepmother, who is struggling with two baby boys. Additionally, Odile motivates Lily to stand up for herself and insist on achieving her goal to attend college. More importantly, Odile prevents Lily from ruining a good friendship with Mary Louise, a schoolmate, in a fit of jealousy. Just as Odile told Margaret’s secret so many years ago, Lily almost told Mary Louise’s boyfriend about an affair that Mary Louise had. Carrying the guilt of betraying Margaret, Odile wears Margaret’s parting gift, the belt, until Lily’s high school graduation. Lily helps Odile overcome her guilt and regain a sense of belonging with others. Curious about Odile’s past, Lily looks through Odile’s personal effects and, on finding a crow letter (which Odile stole), wrongly accuses her of being an informant. Angry, Odile briefly cuts Lily out of her life but eventually forgives her. Despite knowing about Lily’s faults, Odile loves her unconditionally and accepts her. For Lily’s high school graduation, Odile gives her a plane ticket to Paris. Having learned the French language from Odile, Lily has become a Francophile and decides that she will head to the American Library upon her arrival.