The Red Notebook was a recommendation from the owner of the bookshop down the road from me. It is a charming little love story that starts with a rather dark event. As the story progresses, the main characters give the reader glimpses of their past loves and losses, their fears and hopes. Set in Paris and featuring art, literature and a bookstore, this really is a cozy story for the cooler days and longer nights ahead.
On her way home from a friend’s one evening, Laure is mugged just outside her apartment. Her mauve handbag contained her phone, ID and so on, but of more importance to Laure were the other objects within, including her red notebook full of her thoughts. Tragically, in the mugging Laure suffers head trauma and is hospitalized in a coma for a few weeks. During that time, Laurent, owner of a bookshop called Le Cahier Rouge (The Red Notebook), finds the handbag discarded in a trash can. It clearly is not meant to be there, and so he takes it to the local police. They commend Laurent and advise him where he can take the bag in the unlikely event that it could be reunited with its owner. Surprising himself, Laurent takes the bag home and carefully examines each item within. Thus begins his investigation into the rightful owner of the purse and its contents. As Laurent investigates, he finds himself more and more interested in whoever the woman is who owns it. His fascination has an impact on his other relationships and causes him to reflect on how he came to own his bookstore. Meanwhile, Laure, in the hospital and in a coma, is remembering her past — her parents, her deceased husband, and the joys of her marriage, which ended tragically and too soon. Both Laure and Laurent have been lonely and alone.
The question throughout the story is whether these two people will ever meet and if they do, what will be the result? Will sparks fly or will Laure think Laurent is a bit of a stalker? A gay friend, an assertive 15-year-old and a couple of cats figure in to the plot. This one is short — about 160 pages long— and could be read over an afternoon or two. It is a very sweet story and a nice antidote to the general ugliness of the outside world these days.
