Paris Was the Place
Willow Pears—an American poetry professor living in 1980s Paris to be near her brother, Luke—immerses herself in the vibrancy of the city and the tragedy of an international group of young women incarcerated at an immigration holding center. Recruited to help the detainees prepare for their asylum hearings, Willow forms a dangerously close friendship with Gita, who faces deportation to India and a return to the men who raped her. Macon Ventri is Gita’s appointed lawyer, and he sweetens Willow’s interest in Gita’s case with some welcome romantic interest of his own. As Macon and Gita try to navigate the legal labyrinth, Willow and Luke confront France’s health-care system when Luke is diagnosed with AIDS. Eventually, Gita’s desperate bid for freedom will involve Willow in a scandal that promises to shutter the immigration center and shatter her affair with Macon. Deftly exploring the complexities of friendship, family, and commitment, Conley adroitly demonstrates her infectious passion for Paris through an extensive and intimate portrait of the inner workings of the city concealed behind its seductive facade. --Carol Haggas