Sunday Books & Culture
This week’s reviews include James Tucker’s complex WWII historical fiction novel, “The Paris Escape” and Susan Barker’s suspenseful literary horror novel “Old Soul.”
Books & Culture is edited by Vanessa Sekinger
THE PARIS ESCAPE
by James Tucker
Published by Lake Union Publishing (October 29, 2024)
Paperback $12.49
Audiobook $17.63
Reviewed by Penny A Parrish
It is 1938, and Laura Powell and Henry Salter are aboard the Ile de France sailing from Manhattan to Le Havre. But these are not two young lovers on a vacation. Henry is her chaperone, hired by Laura’s father who is a wealthy businessman.
Her brief trip to Paris came with three conditions: that she marry someone appropriate to her social standing upon her return, that Henry continues to make sales and connections for Powell’s armament and munitions business, and that Henry makes sure Laura stays out of trouble. Before their first evening on the ship, those conditions are in jeopardy.
A boy of 10 approaches them, and they realize he is a stowaway. A stowaway with nimble fingers for stealing jewelry off unsuspecting passengers. When the ship reaches France, the boy, David, follows them to their hotel, and the two young adults become protective of this youngster who has no family or home.
Readers will not be surprised that Laura and Henry end up in a relationship, despite her father’s orders. But they will feel the emotional pull these two have with the boy who they refuse to send to a charity home.
They learn he is Jewish, that he lost his family, that he has no ID or passport and that he looks to them as parents. Their plans change dramatically. Laura refuses to go back to the States and gets a job singing in a club. Henry finds himself writing for an underground newspaper. Both find themselves at risk as Nazis invade Paris.
I found the characters and the plot of this book well-developed and ran into unexpected twists and turns as I followed people who fought to create the life they wanted and deserved. My only complaint is that the author goes into too much detail about what Laura is wearing, what a room looks like, what emotions the characters are feeling or fighting. That became repetitious. But the plot is so strong that I kept reading and was rewarded with a powerful ending.
Penny A Parrish is a long-time book reviewer and artist. Learn more about her by visiting her page at Brush Strokes Gallery, which is in downtown Fredericksburg.
OLD SOUL
By Susan Barker
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons (January 28, 2025)
Hardcover $26.97
Audiobook $14.18
Reviewed by Ashley Riggleson
I loved Susan Barker’s earlier novel, The Incarnations, so I requested her newest work, Old Soul, without even reading the synopsis. And although Old Soul, a literary horror novel, feels like a departure from her earlier work, I loved it. Barker is a writer to watch.
Old Soul has two plotlines. One is told as a set of testimonies transcribed and compiled by a man called Jake who is interested in learning more about a very dangerous woman. This quest starts in Japan, where he meets a woman called Mariko. Mariko’s brother has died under mysterious circumstances after meeting a female photographer. And as with all her victims, his organs, upon examination, are shown to be reversed.
Doctors later claim that this is a terrible genetic condition, and Jake and his interviewees are the only people convinced that anything criminal or otherworldly has occurred. Yet as the novel continues, readers see the same pattern play out with multiple people in different parts of the world, including in Jake’s own life. The question then becomes, “Can Jake stop this woman before she kills again?”
The other plotline of the novel follows a young woman called Rosa. Rosa is in danger, that much is certain, and readers follow her as she is lured into the Badlands by a woman with sinister purposes in mind. Despite the woman’s many experiences manipulating her marks, it soon becomes clear that some can intuit her true nature. As the novel unfolds, Barker builds heart-pounding suspense that will keep readers burning the midnight oil to reach what promises to be an epic conclusion.
Although Old Soul is a horror novel, it was the prose that appealed to me first. I am primarily a literary fiction reader, and Barker’s style, as well as her confident use of imagery, drew me in immediately. I am convinced that Barker could write about any setting at any time, and her sense of atmosphere would always be on point.
So, reading Old Soul put me in a unique conundrum: Should I read the novel quickly to find out what happens? Or try to slow down and savor a novel that brings readers so completely into its world while deftly exploring themes of power and mortality? I did a little of both until finally I was so in thrall that I could not put off my curiosity any longer and read the last third without coming up for air.
I do not know whether highbrow readers will consider Old Soul to be an “important” novel, but I maintain that Barker’s style, sense of atmosphere, prose, and character development are flawless. This novel is well worth your time. Old Soul is one of my favorite novels of the new year, and I hope that many readers will discover its many pleasures.
Ashley Riggleson is a free-lance book reviewer from Rappahannock County. When she is not reading or writing book reviews, she can usually be found playing with her pets, listening to podcasts, or watching television with friends and family.
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