Review: 'The Balcony' is riveting debut fiction

"The Balcony" (Little, Brown and Co.), by Jane Delury

A limestone manor, surrounded by fields and forests not far from Paris, is the main setting for "The Balcony," a subtly crafted and richly rewarding debut book of fiction by Jane Delury.

With a servants' cottage tucked nearby, the once-grand estate emerges as a central presence in the narrative, looming large in the passions and destinies of a changing cast of characters that own it or visit it over a century.

Delury's book unfolds in 10 separate stories, each with its own title. While they work as compact, remarkable tales in themselves, they connect through characters and events - and the manor and its environs - to create a riveting free-form novel.

This narrative structure - stand-alone stories woven around a central figure - is reminiscent of "Olive Kitteridge," Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize-winning book of stories built around the title character. It is no stretch to mention Delury and Strout in the same sentence: Delury's debut book, with wise observations, intriguing twists and indelibly drawn characters, is filled with reading pleasures.

A possible flaw is Delury's change of stylistic gears in the final story, "Between." It echoes themes of the book's first, "Au Pair," with a young married woman finding a lover on the side, but it is told in a stilted framework that may be confusing and jarring to the reader.

The other stories, related in spare but evocative prose, offer fresh looks at human appetites - sex, love, money, art, culture - while exploring the ups and downs of childhood, family, friendship and aging, mostly in France but with American and other foreign touches flecking the narrative.

One story, "Ants," is a gentle and superb beach drama framing a young teen girl's coming-of-age experience. Another, "The Pond," is a gripping, very different coming-of-age story about two young brothers, a secret and courage.

"The Balcony" is an American's love letter to France - a bit prickly, for sure, and a compelling saga spanning France's past century, a period in which the manor, ravaged by wars and time, survives as a silent witness.

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Online:

http://www.janedelury.com