This week my book group was immersed in Paris. We planned it back in June. While it isn’t uncommon to have current events creep into the discussion, it is rare to have the past and present echo so strongly. Our book was The Paris Architect, Charles Belfoure’s first novel about a French architect in occupied Paris in 1943 – 1944 who is persuaded to use his talents to create extraordinary hiding places for Jews. The book is not a conventional Holocaust novel. First, it takes place entirely in Paris, after the round-up and barely references the trains or camps. None of the major characters in the story are Jewish.
An overriding theme of the book discussion was the importance of empathy and the recognition of shared human interests despite differences. Continue reading Paris 2015 | Paris 1943
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