A delightful, quirky, and comic foray into Parisian life that’s a clear homage to Hitchcock’s Rear Window (and the even earlier short story of the same name by Cornell Woolrich). Here, the dynamics include Nathalia Guitry, a successful photographer who, having witnessed a murder while taking pictures, is unable to work. She seeks help from Doctor Faber, who assigns her a creative task: to record the lives of the people in the apartment building across from her. Nathalia sends the stories to Doctor Faber via mail (she claims she can’t bear to watch him read them), vignettes that many readers will find to be the most fascinating parts of the novel. Eccentricity abounds as we encounter a lyricist, a life coach, and a well-known cartoonist; in its own surprising way, the Parisian building is reminiscent of Whitter, Alaska, where all residents live in one building, keeping a watchful eye on one another. Even the doctor has his own odd interests, from smoking to collecting keys. But what about that murder? Readers will appreciate racing through this brief novel to get to the other—very rewarding—side.
