Lilia Albert grew up on the move. Now that she’s an adult, she’s finding it a hard habit to break.
Last Night in Montreal opens with Lilia leaving Eli, her current boyfriend. Eli is floored to find Lilia gone, as she gave no indication she was leaving…she simply took off to go get the newspaper and never came home. When a mysterious postcard arrives from Montreal, indicating that that is where Lilia has ended up, Eli is concerned enough that he takes off for Montreal.
Meanwhile, we also learn about Lilia’s peripatetic childhood. Interspersed with Eli’s quest are chapters about Lilia’s childhood. We find out that Lilia’s father showed up one night and spirited her away. Lilia has no fear of her father, and she also has no memory of life with her mother. This doesn’t bother her. In fact, she is fed up with the private investigator who is trying to track her down. Lilia loves wandering the US with her dad and even though he eventually decides to settle down, she can’t.
On top of Eli and Lilia’s tales, there is a third story arc. Michaela, the daughter of the above-mentioned private investigator, also plays a role in the development of the story. We are witness to glimpses of her childhood, her obsessed father and her absent mother, and her current life as an exotic dancer/tightrope walker.
I really enjoyed Lilia’s story, as well as Eli’s, whose confusion led him (and us) on a journey to understand Lilia. Michaela, though…her story was a bit odd, in a number of ways. At times, she seemed to be an interruption to the flow of the story, although she did provide some additional details on Lilia. Also, I never did get a good feel for why her father was so compelled to search for Lilia, to the point where he ruined his relationship with his own daughter.
Still, this was a book that made me think…about how easy and how hard it would be to be Lilia. About how disconnected she must have been to be able to leave so easily, and about how compelling it must have been (could be?) to strike out and discover someplace new.
*****
A big thanks to Dar for sending me her ARC of this one! If you’d like to be the next recipient (and please keep in mind it is an ARC), let me know in the comments and I’ll choose the next lucky reader later this week.
I really enjoyed this book. The author’s writing flowed so smoothly and the story was never dull. I wondered too about Michaela’s father. I think he was avoiding his home life–his marriage–and as a result his daughter. He became obsessed with his search as a result. Just my take on it.
All the characters seemed lost to me, like they were seeking something they felt they were missing.
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It sounds like there’s a lot going on in this story, but it also sounds like we could all relate to Lilia just a little bit. I’d be interested in reading this one.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Review and Giveaway: Blame =-.
Oh, pick me, please! This one’s been on my wish list for a couple of months, as I’ve seen one good review after another.
.-= Florinda´s last blog ..Weekend Review 9-5: Travels around the blogiverse this week =-.
I have a finished copy of this one, now I have to find the time to read it. I like books that make me think.
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I won this one a while back and am looking forward to it. Great Review!
.-= Diane´s last blog ..Musing Mondays – Audio Books =-.
I’ve been wanting to read this since I read about it at an author event a couple months ago. I hear great things! Count me in for the giveaway!
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