These Dividing Walls, Fran Cooper

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher *

Author: Fran Cooper
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 250
Format: DRC
ISBN-13: 9781473641556
Publisher: various formats

In a forgotten corner of Paris stands a building.
Within its walls, people talk and kiss, laugh and cry; some are glad to sit alone, while others wish they did not. A woman with silver-blonde hair opens her bookshop downstairs, an old man feeds the sparrows on his windowsill, and a young mother wills the morning to hold itself at bay. Though each of their walls touches someone else's, the neighbours they pass in the courtyard remain strangers.
Into this courtyard arrives Edward. Still bearing the sweat of a channel crossing, he takes his place in an attic room to wait out his grief.
But in distant corners of the city, as Paris is pulled taut with summer heat, there are those who meet with a darker purpose. As the feverish metropolis is brought to boiling point, secrets will rise and walls will crumble both within and without Number 37...

This is not a book I would pick up very quickly but something was grabbing my attention.
The apartment building is filled with different peoples with their own backstory. This book is pretty short for the number of characters and the subjects that are touched. The most impressing thing was that none of those stories felt neglected. The book is filled with anger and grief. It is hard to imagine happy things do happen in the world. Still there is love and a lot of vulnerability too. I think I would use the word fragile to descibe the book.
The characters are all placed on a specific part in the story. Their role is clear but it is not disturbing. Though some characters are making questionable decisions it is explained why within the story. It is hard though to really get connected to one character. The characters are really working for the various current subjects and a lot of things that everyone can connect with.