Exposed

A teacher, nearing retirement, is unexpectedly invited to a party celebrating the art of a former student. Louis Claret is puzzled for the invitation; what could a celebrity like Alexandre Laudin gain by inviting a tired high school instructor who barely remembers Laudin to this showcase for his work? Claret goes, and meets up with Laudin, and somehow finds himself agreeing to pose for his former student. What is this all about?

I love the tension Jean-Philippe Blondel brings to his stories, the uncertainty, the ambiguity inherent in life. Because the author is French, and because I have read and loved his earlier novel, The 6:41 to Paris, I felt confident that the author would lead me again into a place where I could closely see the emotional resonances of the world that we sometimes avoid, and that he did. I loved the genuine feel of the story, the use of nuance, playing with complexities of life, that the author gave me.

Be warned that this story is not for those who like a big American fireworks ending. No, it's just a story of two lives and the ways they intermingle and weave together and grow apart, lives that interconnect with each other and with others, the way people flame and burn out. It's vivid and compelling, and it's beautiful writing.