I'd wanted to read this book for so long. I noticed the audiobook available from my library, and decided to check it out for a long road trip. Big mistake. Being on a road trip meant that when I realized I didn't like this book, I was kind of stuck with it.So many issues with this book. I was bothered by the way the author described the French. For example, she keeps saying her in-laws dislike her because they regard her as "that American feminist" as if to imply that feminism is an American thing. Really? Because I can think of several French women who are internationally known for their contributions to feminism. In general the French are much more open to feminism and Americans still have quite a ways to go. When people think American women, I doubt their first thought is how feminist we are. But anyway. Also, I didn't notice anything particularly feminist about the character - she works, but I imagine most French women do. She's kind of pathetic in her marriage to a man who openly cheats on her and doesn't seem to like her all that much - that's not what I consider feminist.
The main character is a journalist, and she uncovers the tragic story of Sarah. While that's the basis for so much of this book, there's not a lot of info with regard to Sarah. The historical aspect is important, that's why I gravitate to books like this, but the contemporary story line was dreadful. The woman is obsessed with this story as a way to avoid the miserable state of her own life. She also goes on and on about how the French ignore their history and the role they played in collaborating with the Germans. This may have been the case at the time the story was written, but the times I've been to Paris and seeking out WWII sites, it was very clear to me that the French acknowledge the role they played - I remember being taken aback by how clearly it is stated that the French police rounded up French citizens. But maybe this is a more recent thing. I believe the book is set in 2002, and my own experience in France only dates back about ten years.
The part of the book that turned off completely is the character learning she's pregnant - says they've tried for years and had given up - only to have her husband insist that she have an abortion. If she was really the feminist she claims to be, she wouldn't even entertain his suggestion if that wasn't at all what she wanted, and clearly it wasn't. But she ends up in the abortion clinic, wondering how many other women will be "having their babies scraped out of them" - another very un-feminist view of what should be regarded as a normal medical procedure. Then she claims the people at the clinic are chasing her down, trying to force her to have this abortion that she doesn't want. Ah, yes, because people who work in abortion clinics are evil? Whatever. That's when I would have quit the book - but was still an hour and half away from my destination, driving on the highway, so couldn't exactly pull over and download a new book.
And then to end the story, she's chasing down the people who were related to Sarah, forcing them to confront her history, even though the man has no desire to learn all of this. The whole thing was very uncomfortable and stalker-ish. But then I guess they fall in love in the end which didn't make much sense at all.
Overall, didn't like this book at all.
