Many thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown & Company, and Emma Donoghue for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel. I still count Room as one of my all-time favorite novels so I'm always anxious to read her books. Her latest book is again beautifully written - 5 stars in my mind because I loved these characters!
Noah is a retired chemistry professor, living alone in his Manhattan apartment after the death of his wife. For his 80th birthday, he decides to use some money bequeathed to him when his sister died and go to his native hometown of Nice, France. He's days away from leaving when he receives a phone call from a social worker saying that he is the closest relative to his great-nephew, 11-year-old Michael, whose grandmother just died. Michael's father (Noah's nephew) died from an overdose and his mother is in prison on drug charges. Noah begrudgingly agrees to take charge of Michael for a couple weeks while his aunt can be located, which means that Michael will be making the trip to France with him.
The cultural and generational differences are readily apparent and fun to watch the two navigate. There is also a bit of mystery here - Noah found a few photographs in his sister's belongings that his mother apparently took. He investigates their origin while in France.
This well-researched book about a true period in time during WWII could also be a travelogue of the region and people of Nice. But it's the interactions between Noah and Michael that steal the book and your heart. Highly recommended!
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