Book review of The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

Welcome to day 16 of my #FrenchVillageBookworm advent calendar where I am featuring a different book every day in the run up to Christmas.

Day 16 FrenchVillageBookworm advent calendar

Today I am reviewing The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain a tale of mystery set in Paris where a girl is mugged, her handbag stolen and she is left bleeding. The following day, bookshop owner Laurent finds an abandoned handbag that among other items contains a small red notebook filled with very personal thoughts, that is the only thing that may give him the clues to discover the owner and return her bag.

His mission to find this mystery woman soon takes over his life and as his obsession with the unidentified owner grows so did my interest in this novel, which quickly became compelling as well as a little creepy. There was something quite perverse about Laurent knowing so much about someone he had never met, even more so when he becomes involved in her life.

It is a beautifully written book that I felt was very romantic in places, despite the difficulties Laurent creates for himself as he crosses personal boundaries. What would he say to explain his actions? How would she feel about his involvement? Would life ever be the same again for him?

This is the second novel I have read by Antoine Laurain and they have both entertained, but also made me think as I was reading them and found myself guessing how things would evolve and turn out. His books are different from other novels I have read, but I’m hooked.

The Red Notebook and The President's Hat are published by Gallic Books and available in ebook and paperback format. Links to Amazon can be found below. You can read my review of The President's Hat here.