Novel Bookstore, A. by Laurence Cossé

[JoanP]

Welcome to our July Discussion of

A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé

What is a good novel? A classic, a book that was a landmark, a difficult book? We have all read books that include all the basics for a 'good' novel however, it became a novel without genius. Will ‘A Novel Bookstore’ move us toward a definition? A Utopian Paris bookstore, without the constraints of market realities and financial constraints, triggers jealousies and threats in Cossé's self-described, elegantly written novel. Ivan "Van" Georg and Francesca Aldo-Valbelli, the heroes, establish ‘The Good Novel’, a bookshop that will stock only, well written French fiction. A secret committee of eight French writers is conscripted to submit annual lists of titles that become the bookstore’s inventory. We, the readers are immediately thrust in the middle of solving secret attacks on the lives of three committee members. As the story continues, we join the friends of the ‘The Good Novel’ to also track down who is behind the attempts to de-rail the success of the bookstore that is protecting artistic excellence from being submerged by mediocrity.

Links are underlined.
Lunchtime Literary Conversations: with Laurence Cossé and author Hervé Le Tellier, moderated by Rakesh Satyal
In French, with great photos illustrating her books… Laurence Cossé dans La Grande Librairie du 12 février 2009
Quotes by Laurence Cossé

Week 1: Part 1 and Part 2 through Chapter 14 (about 102 pages)
Week 2: Part 2 from Chapter 15 to the end (about 97 pages)
Week 3: Part 3 (about 123 pages)
Week 4: Part 4 (about 86 pages)

Discussion Leaders BarbStAubrey and Marcie

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR WEEK 4 - PART 4

• We learn something about the writing process, and what constitutes a good novel, through discovering more about the committee members, especially the members who were attacked. What made an impression on you?

• What are some of the cynical aspects of the book publishing and book selling businesses that we learn about through the investigation of possible culprits? Have you experienced any negative aspects in your pursuit of books?

• What do we learn about Francesca? Is her situation, reactions and how she "took her leave" a reflection of novels you've read or heard about?

• What parallels are there in the relationships between Van and Anis and Van and Francesca?

• How do Van and Anis change after Francesca "takes her leave" and they read Francesca's notes?

• What are your thoughts as  you finish reading the book?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR WEEK 3 - PART 3

• How do the various settings – forest, hillside trail, mountain ski resort, Paris, hospitals, police station, a seventeenth-century building add mood, tone and meaning to the text?

• What recurring patterns, images/symbols, images, metaphors, similes, have you noticed and Why – What is their purpose – How do they develop or impact the characters?

• What clues made you suspect those behind the denigration of Francesco and Van

• How do the attacks on the values inherit in the book store remind you of other literary and scientific attacks

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR WEEK 2

• In this section (middle to end of Part 2) we learn something about the personal lives of Van and Francesca. What impressions are you forming of them? What does the Bookstore mean to them?

• What do you make of Anis?

• What are your impressions of the 8 members of the committee?

• What are your thoughts about the importance of literature that Francesca learned from her grandfather?
  "Literature is a source of pleasure, he said, it is one of the rare inexhaustible joys in life, but it's not only that. It must not be disassociated from reality. Everything is there. That is why I never use the word fiction. Every subtlety in life is material for a book. He insisted on the fact. Have you noticed, he'd say, that I'm talking about novels? Novels don't contain only exceptional situations, life or death choices, or major ordeals; there are also everyday difficulties, temptations, ordinary disappointments; and, in response, every human attitude, every type of behavior, from the finest to the most wretched. There are books where, as you read, you wonder: What would I have done? It's a question you have to ask yourself. Listen carefully: it is a way to learn to live. There are grown-ups who would say no, that literature is not life, that novels teach you nothing. They are wrong. Literature performs, instructs, it prepares you for life."

• Are there books that are mentioned in this section that you are thinking about reading?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR WEEK 1

• Who is telling the story?
• How many stories within stories have you noticed?  What books have you read that use a narrative embedded in the story, often told by a character in the story? This is sometimes called a Metadiegetic Narrative (a back story).

• On page 23 Marcellin heard Paul deliriously mutter “Mina green and pink.” When he spoke of it to Madame Huon, she assumed Paul “was referring to one of his visitors and the color of her eye shadow or her lingerie.” What was Paul referencing, and why is it important?

• Several of the names that are sprinkled in chapter 4 are names known to the French. Who among the names is a well-known skier and whose Sur name is a famous cookie even sold here in the US?
• What causes a chuckle reading the Doctor and Suzon attacking the beaufort? What is beaufort?
• What is the history of the name Montbrun?

• Suzon says Paul is a very cultured man who goes by the name Néant. In French Néant means ‘nothing - void’ which could describe what he lives on but more, how does his name link the concept of void to: ~ Charles Baudelaire ~ Alexandre Grothendieck, mathematician ~ a Cabaret  ~ Phantasmagoria

• What book have you read that was so powerful when you finished reading you realized you never read anything like it? What about the book you read was outstanding? Was it the use of language, the unforgettable characters who spoke to you in a new way, a theme that reached beyond your imagination?

• Why does Armel write checks to Maritime Rescue or Handicap International?
• Van speaks highly of Armel as a storyteller. What is the difference between a storyteller and a stylist?
• What are the various meanings for Paul’s pseudonym, Brother Brandy?
• What motivates, scares, upsets Anne-Marie?

[JoanP]

Marcie, when Fran and Van were setting up the bookstore in earlier chapters, I thought I read that one third of the books would be French - the others translations from other books.  Is that right?

"The more I think about it, this book is very much rooted in French culture and I realize that I'm filtering everything through my own American perspective."  Marcie

I''ve been thinking about this too, Marcie.  I've been thinking too about the question in the heading regarding the recurring metaphors throughout the book.

I've noticed the books exchanged between Van and Anis - and the books discussed by Francesca and Van, too - seem to parallel their lives, their conversations.  It's almost as if the novels are metaphors for their lives.  Or maybe, their lives are metaphors for the novels.  I know I'm not expressing this well, but I feel strongly about the connection between the novels and their lives.

I'm reminded of the passage in which Francesca tells Van of her grandfather's view of the novel.

"It must not be dissociated from reality.  Every subtlety in life is material for a book.  Novels don't contain only exceptional situations, life or death choices, or major ordeals; there are also everyday difficulties, temptations, ordinary disappointments...

There are books where, as you read, you wonder" What would I have done?  It's a question you have to ask yourself.  Listen carefully: it is a way to live.
Literature informs, instructs, it prepares you for life."

Maybe the response to literature varies - depending on where one lives one's life, the culture. Perhaps Francesca and Van's passion for literature - passion for life is very French, different from our American attitudes towards literature, Marcie?  And also the repressed expression of this passion.  Perhaps we are used to acting out our passions?

[marcie]

Joan, it does seem that there is a lot of "drama" in the lives of the main characters in the book.  Perhaps that relates to repressed expression of passion.

I agree that the author seems to be using references to other books as a way to emphasize or elaborate on various characterizations and plot points.

[JoanP]

What I'm finding interesting - is that Anis seems to  be the narrator - the "I" and the "me" we are reading now  can be noone else - and Heffner seems to be the one keeping the story going, coaxing it out of the committee members, listening to Francesca and Van's every shred of memory.  Don't you wonder how he has so much time for this?  I suppose the case is a serious matter now because of the assault - and attempted murder.  Not because a bookstore is targeted...

Anis and Heffner seem the most distant and cool-headed characters in the plot. Not sure why Anis tells Van she is not free. Is she still in some sort of trouble?

Question from the top of the page: What clues made you suspect those behind the denigration of Francesco and Van?
More and more it seems Francesca is the object of the attempts to discredit the bookstore. Although attempts are also made to expose Van's past to discredit the book store, he seems to handle that attacks on himself with ease.

 The attacks are  so carefully orchestrated - so much money is being spent on the campaign - it seems there is only one person with a motive and the means...and that's Francesca's husband.  But why?  And wouldn't that be too obvious? Can you think of anyone who would stand to gain anything if the Novel Book Store closed?

Can't help but think the real purpose for writing this novel is the situation with the bookselling business - and the story is merely to express how precarious small quality book stores are today.  I read yesterday that all the Borders are set to close in the DC area now- not that Borders is one of the small quality book stores.  But now that leaves Barnes & Noble in Virginia.  Thank heavens Politics and Prose has found new owners.  Will have to give them my business - though admit it is tempting to order from Amazon than to take a train into town.  I do love to browse...

(Did you notice that the Olympic Committee is in Paris...everyone believes Paris has the best chance in 2012 to host the summer Olympics?  We'll be in LONDON for the summer games next year...2012.)

[Frybabe]

Did Barb say she was going to be away? I forget. She hasn't posted since the 20th.



   What clues made you suspect those behind the denigration of Francesco and Van

Francesca's husband certainly had the attitude and the means to try to discredit her endeavor, however, I thought it was too easy to see him as the culprit. I couldn't think of anyone else who would be a suspect other than a vague notion of maybe a publisher or some book fanatic whose choice of reading didn't qualify under the criteria.

In case I forgot to mention, I was surprised to discover that Notre Dame Cathedral is on an island. I knew it was by the Seine, but didn't know about the island.

 

[JoanP]

Here's the funny thing about Notre Dame -

It  is located on Ile de la Cite, one of two islands in the Seine in the heart of Paris. The region around Paris is called Ile de France because it is (nearly) surrounded by rivers;  Notre Dame is in the Ile de France area, but not on it.  Got it?

[marcie]

Barbara has been a bit under the weather.

Joan, That is an interesting fact about Notre Dame. Confusing!

I think you're right about Anis being the narrator. It was an interesting choice for the author to have her tell the story. I'm not sure if it made the story more intimate than having an "omniscient narrator."

Frybabe and Joan, the husband is practically the only other character in the book that we know so it's likely that he would be the culprit. I guess all will be revealed in the last section.

[JudeS]

I finished the last part of the book.  When can we discuss it?

[marcie]

Has everyone else finished the book?

[JoanP]

A few notes on Part III first?

While listening to the comments from the book's characters, I feel I am listening to L. Cossé's personal beliefs and attitudes.

When she writes that 90% of the novels shortlisted for literary prizes are not found on the shelves of the Good Novel - she's expressing the belief that they are not "good novels."  She writes, through Francesca that the secret of the success of the selected new books found in their store  - "a rigorous selection of books."

I thought of this criticism of those who select the literary prize winners - and the Pen-Faulkner Foundation awards.  I'm familiar with this prize because it is based at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.  Here's a description of the panel of judges:

"Named for William Faulkner, who used his Nobel Prize funds to create an award for young writers, and affiliated with PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists), the international writers' organization, the PEN/Faulkner Award was founded by writers in 1980 to honor their peers. The award judges-working fiction writers all--each read approximately 300 novels and short story collections to select a winner and four nomineers."

Quickly I'll add here that the Foundation sends approximately 300 of these novels to the York Correctional Women's facility in Conn - collaborating with SeniorLearn, through our partnership with them in the Library of Congress' Reading Promotion Partners.  Just had to squeeze that in here.  Just as the committee for The Good Novel was  made up of writers, the same with Pen-F.

That said, I've had serious questions about recent Man-Booker Prize winners - don't know who chooses those books.
Clearly, Cossé   has a beef with at least one literary prize panel.

[JoanP]

- Then there's the point made by the Minister of Culture in France - when he said "the key word where culture and art are concerned is pleasure."  I'm not sure I would come flat out and disagree with him as Van did.  I mean, there has to be pleasure in reading, or why read?  What did you think of those comments?

Yes, Marcie, I did finish the book - though not recently.  I was going to read it again more closely when we get to it.  Are we there now - week four?

At the end of Part III, Van notices that there is something wrong with Francesca.  She's forgetful, not sleeping, not listening to him when he talks to her, walking different.  What do you think is wrong with her.  Do these symptoms add up to anything specific?

[marcie]

JoanP, yes, especially in section Three, I found that Cosse seemed to be more overt in telling us what she thinks about the book publishing business and literary prizes. The idea that big marketing machines for "unworthy" books can drown out the presence of very good books, and make them almost invisible, was a shocking thought.

[Frybabe]

Francesca was definitely ill, but I couldn't determine whether she was depressed or something else. I waited to see if she eventually told Van that she had a tumor or cancer, but she didn't.

[marcie]

I too was wondering what was wrong with Francesca in Part 3. Perhaps the stress of the recent events are bringing back the stressful time of her daughter's death.

Let's start Part Four now.

[Frybabe]

Here is a quote that struck me:

"And then, now I know how you try to woo someone who no longer believes in himself, how you must be patient, and trusting despite appearances, and it can take a long time."

-Anis

Seems we went full circle between Van and Anis. Remember at the beginning somewhere where Van, I think it was, remarked that he would lose interest in a woman if she showed signs of getting too attached? While I don't think this is strictly the case here because they were living together for some time, their roles in the relationship have reversed. Van appears to be going through a major depression now; he seems broken. Anis was broken in a different way. Van slowly, patiently mended her. Now it is her turn.

[JudeS]

I felt that part four was a mixed bag.  The parts about the Committee was well written and interesting.  There was a bit too much "muck raking" about the book industry.  The facts are of course important but the story sometimes became secondary.
Possibly as a young person reading it,as I read "The Jungle" as a teen, I would be more impressed by finding out how the big ,bad world really works.But, being the jaded old person I am today I found it a bit too much.

I was happy that Francesca's husband was just a red herring and not the villain I suspected him to be. Francesca's death was a bit contrived but inevitable. The beautiful heroine must die and become a greater tragefy in death than she could possibly be in. life.  Her love for Ivan was clear all the way through.  Her journal was beautiful.

I still need time to weigh the overall impact of the book.

[JoanP]

Frybabe, I never did see Van and Anis together - especially after they moved in together and the hard-to-get game was over.  I never saw the same passion and the same joy that Van and Francesca shared.  Now that Francesca is gone, Van is inconsolable  Finally, we are seeing the love story that has been there all along.

As Jude says,  "a mixed bag".  I'm not exactly sure what Cossé was trying to accomplish with this novel.  Was she telling a love story?  Was she using the love story to sustain interest in her views on the novel - or in bookstores?

Francesca asks who has the means to open three book stores on the rue Odeon.  A very good question.  Was it answered?
Heffner's investigation leads to a "frenzied individual"   - Eric Erve - a disgruntled wriiter.  Are we really expected to believe that he managed all of this himself?  Surely not.  Have you left Francesca's husband off the hook?  Was he really the "winner" - having proved that quality doesn't win, only trash?  

What did you think?  Does Cosse expect that we will question Heffner's conclusions?

[Frybabe]

I got the impression that Heffner's bosses came to the conclusion that there wasn't a case and so told Heffner to close it. I agree that it seems unreal that just one writer (considering they don't all make that much money) could pull all that off himself. Therefore, it seems reasonable to conclude one of two things. Either there really wasn't enough evidence to convict (what, not even for harassment?), or the bosses were put under duress to drop the case before something really did turn up.

I guess we will never know what was on Francesca's mind when she stepped out into the traffic. Was she in a fog from being ill and not getting enough sleep, or did she commit suicide? No one mentioned a suicide note, did they?

[JoanP]

I keep wracking my brain (is wracking a word?) - trying to remember a reference to a person in the beginning of the book who was suffering from a similar malady - with symptoms similar to Francesca's.  

Van had just told her that he had a plan on how to revive sales at the bookstore.  She hangs up and comes right away to the store.  I don't think she was thinking about suicide when she stepped into the path of that bus, Frybabe, do you?  No, I don't remember a suicide note.

Poor Van - imagine getting those "letters" AFTER her death.  Would things have been different between them has she been able to talk to him about her feelings?  Or was he so involved with Anis that he would never consider Francesca's feelings for him.  I'm going to reread her last entry to see if there is a hint about how she was feeling at the end.

I think Henri was jealous of Francesca's attention and passion for the bookstore.  Wasn't that a motive for wanting to see it fail?  

ps.  Just remembered that I took the book back to the Library - can someone reread Francesca's last message?

[JudeS]

Joan P.
The last paragraph of the diary is as follows:
"Everything is fine. there is nothing for me to find fault with, nothing at all. I hold no grudges, either with you or with her, of course, or even with myself.  But what may happen, simply, is that the ordeal will get to be too much for me, and I may feel obliged to take my leave, out of weakness, or in a surge of energy, so that at last I can catch my breath."

This may or may not indicate that she was suicidal.  She was depressed but had not yet planned her imminent death.  She was more toying with the idea of suicide. That state of mind is about five times more common than that of those people who complete suicide.  It is referred to as suicidal ideatiom and is very , very common.

However she was troubled by her unrequited love and the financial state of her pet project. She was hurt by the undermining of the other booksellers so she wasn't paying attention to the traffic.  You might say she died of an overburdened mind or it simply was another traffic accident. The author leaves it open-ended.                 

[marcie]

  Joan,

ps.  Just remembered that I took the book back to the Library - can someone reread Francesca's last message?

Joan, do you mean the notes that Francesa left behind that Anis read?  "The last page of the notebook is dated January 20, 2006. It is the longest of the texts.... [THIS IS THE PART ABOUT HENRI.] My grandfather  had been dead for three months, and I had no close family left, when I met Henri. I could hardly stand. He held out his hand. I didn't know where to go, and what he showed me was dazzling. He wasn't what he is now. He was an extremely intelligent senior executive, enterprising and creative. And then hew was stricken with the two viruses of money and power, and he became cynical. But that dazzling love when we first met -- that is something I remain faithful to. I no longer force myself. I am not free from it. It is not a principle, still less an effort of will. In those days I conceived of our love as something written in eternity. I do not conceive of it as anything else today the love we had then. What came later did not soil that period of our love. Time has had no hold on it, nor has death, since in a way, that love is truly dead....."

Henri's identity seems to be entwined with his success as a businessman and he was sure he was right... that her "dream" was not a viable business and it would fail. Francesca reports to Ivan that when she responded to Henri's question, telling him that their sales are steadily dropping, "What hurt most was his delight." Joan, it's possible that he was jealous of her passion for the bookstore and venture with Ivan and/or he could be pleased with himself that he was right all along.

[marcie]

Jude, we were posting at the same time. I realize that you likely posted the part that Joan was asking about. I agree that Francesca didn't overtly plan her suicide but she was so despondent, as well as affected by the sleeping pills, that she wasn't paying attention.

[marcie]

Francesca seems to represent a dream to me. To Ivan and Anis, she seems to be idealized. She's sort of synonymous with the bookstore and the lofty aims that all involved have for it.

[Frybabe]

I always thought that Henri was opposed to the business, not because he thought it would be a failure, but that a woman run business was doomed to failure. He should have been delighted to offer help and suggestions (being a successful businessperson), mentoring if you will, to his wife. Instead he denigrated the business and her role in it from the beginning. She may even been something of an embarrassment to him because she chose to go into business. I remember that she said at some point that women of her economic stature (through her husband's success) were not expected to go into business and indeed were looked down upon for doing so. She didn't seem to have any friends outside the business. Did she ever mention friends and what they thought?

[JoanP]

Marcie, yes, Anis, dreamlike - I thought Francesca was too...
 
Frybabe, yes, Francesca did seem to be a loner - no friends, no family either.
  For that matter, Van didn't seem to have friends or family, did he?  Or Anis?  She did come to Meribel with fellow students in the beginning, but other than that, she had no one in her life either.  So Cossé has presented us with a cast of loners.  Was that intended?  Or did she not bother to flesh out her characters because they weren't the real focus of her book?

ps - just noticed new food for thought in the header - will chew on them and be back later!

[JudeS]

Joan p
Do you think the people you mentioned as loners love books because they are loners or that because they love books they are loners?
That is "what came first the chicken or the egg" question.
Though they are loners they get pretty attached to one another. However that may be because they all love books.

I am still not sure wether or not this is a "good novel". There are interesting characters and an interesting premise....yet... something is lacking . I haven't as yet figured it out.

[Frybabe]

Jude, as far back as I can remember I've loved to read. I'd go off to my bedroom (because my sisters preferred to watch TV and I found that distracting) to read. I have rarely minded being by myself, and my circle of friends is not large. Do I consider myself a loner? Not really. But since I double checked the definition, maybe I am. It just says a preference to be by ones' self.

[marcie]

I am still not sure wether or not this is a "good novel". There are interesting characters and an interesting premise....yet... something is lacking . I haven't as yet figured it out.

I think that I missed a lot in the book because I'm not familiar with French culture and didn't know quite a few of the books that were referenced throughout the story. I agree with you that the premise of the book is interesting but I don't know how well the author carried it out.

[marcie]

I am in tune with all of your comments about loners and books. I myself am more comfortable with meeting characters in a wide variety of books than I am with meeting new people in person.

[JudeS]

The fact is that everyone on this site loves to read (read a lot I imagine). That in itself means you are not alone with a book in your hand. Very often people in real life are not as interesting as the people in books to us. That doesn't mean  that we are loners.
Many loners don't  like books.  They simply don't like people or prefer not to compete with others or are very shy. Or are living in their heads and yes, even books are not welcome to intrude.
An extreme example of a loner is Ted Kaczinski. He couldn't bear to be among people and hatched plots to kill some of them.

I don't believe that people that communicate on a website about books are necessarily loners.  In fact they like to communicate their thoughts to other "like minded" folk. Perhaps it is more a predilection to be among people who have the same interests as yourself.

Some people are just more introverted and feel comfortable with others who like to read. That is a far cry from a loner.
So don't lable yourself as a loner because on this site you are among friends.

[Frybabe]

When I was young, in fact for many years, I never discovered people who liked to read or listen to classical music. Back then, I can't recall very many people carrying books with them to read. Now, I see readers everywhere. I'll ask about the book they are reading, is it good, etc., and often, we are off into a discussion of books in general and sometimes specific topics. Only a few are less responsive. One of the best spots for book conversations turns out to be while waiting for the car to get fixed or inspected. It is has been more difficult to connect with classical music fans. Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered SeniorNet. I feel privileged to be a part of this group as it has evolved into Seniors and Friends and SeniorLearn.

[marcie]

JudeS and Frybabe, I appreciate your thoughtful insights. Isn't it wonderful to meet others who appreciate books. Van and Francesca felt they had a higher mission in creating a bookstore that would offer good novels. It was one way of building a community of like-minds, much as we have here.

[JoanP]

"But what may happen, simply, is that the ordeal will get to be too much for me, and I may feel obliged to take my leave, out of weakness, or in a surge of energy, so that at last I can catch my breath"

Jude - those are Francesca's words I was trying to remember.  Even though there is no proof that she was suicidal, she really couldn't see herself in the future with Van - and Anis at the book store.

What did you understand about her injuries?  Her facial injuries? Were we supposed to question how the bus had hit her to cause such an injury?  She may have been distracted, but I think there is reason to believe that she was being reckless because she really didn't care what happened to her.  She was ready to "take her leave."

Frybabe - I can sense Francesca's joy in finding that Van shared her love for novels.  She seems to have had no one  in her life to share this interest.  I didn't get the idea that this meant so much to Anis.  And I felt that Van was interested in Anis for reasons other than their love of novels. 
However, they all shared an interest in the bookstore. 

Jude, I agree with this - Some people are just more introverted and feel comfortable with others who like to read. That doesn't mean they are loners.  But there three don't seem to have any friends whatsoever.  Marcie hit it when describing our book site , like The Good Novel -a community of shared minds.

Now what of Jude's question - is this a "good novel"?  What do you think Cossé's purpose was in writing it?

[marcie]

There is an interview with Laurence Cosse at http://www.europaeditions.com/archivio/libri/reading_group_guide_97.pdf

She indicates why she  wrote the book by saying:

"Q: What inspired you to write A Novel Bookstore? Is The Good Novel based on an
actual bookstore?
 
A: For a long time, I planned to open a bookstore in Paris with the name “Au bon roman”
[The Good Novel] that sells novels, nothing but novels, and all of them excellent. But the
years passed by and my plan remained only a dream. I told myself that at the very least I
could write about it, I could tell the story of The Good Novel.
 
I often ask myself: Where did the idea for such a utopia come from? And my answer is that
it is not a utopia. In my mind, it was a plan, a real one, and one that I believed could be fully
realized. "

She also says why she made Anis the narrator:

"A: This is the small game within the big game called “a novel.” (I use the word “game” in its
fullest sense). I thought that it would be amusing for the reader if very early on he or she
were to say, ‘Wait a minute, who’s talking? Who is telling this story?’ And if they were not to
get an answer to this question until the very end. "

[JudeS]

Marcie
Re Franesca's suicidal ideation.  There are considered to be three stages of suicidal ideation.
1) Thoughts like Francesca has about life, her situation etc.
2)An actual plan. That is you have the rope, gun, pills etc. in your drawer and are planning this event on a certain day, hour etc. You begin to give away personal possesions to friends, family or write a note with your last words.
3) You actually make an attempt at killing yourself.  About half the attempts are stopped half way by various and sundry circumstances.

Most people can be talked out of an imminent plan.  They also can be hospitalized for making an attempt or claiming that they are planning to kill themselves.
I know that these stages are not often portrayed in movies, novels, TV etc. However if you work in any mental health clinic, hospital etc. you know how common these processes are.  As a small example when I worked in the Mental Health unit of Juvenile Hall we received at least ten imminent suicidal notices a day. (population 225) from the staff re the inmates.
The only completed suicide in the two years was by a boy who showed none of the outer signs we saw in all the others.

Yes, Francesca was weary and tired and you can chalk her accident up to many things but it was not a clear cut suicide.

[marcie]

That's very helpful information, JudeS. I, too, don't think that the author meant us to see Francesca's death as a clear suicide. I don't think she would do that to Val, after she had experienced the suicide of her daughter.

As, JoanP, asked before, I'm not clear about the significance of the state of her skull after the accident.

[JoanP]

Since we are talking about Francesca's suicidal thoughts - or not - I'm reminded of a co-worker several years ago.  She was married, had a young son who was her world.  Her husband decided he no longer loved her - had a flashy new girlfriend and took the son on incredible outings with her - to the point  he didn't want to go home to his mother when their weekend visits were over.  My friend was clearly depressed at work.  We had long discussions about what she could do with  the boy - that didn't cost much money.  She had next to nothing - he wasn't paying her the support he had promised.  The courts were moving slowly - he had some sort of power to keep postponing hearings.  Then she ended up in the hospital with some sort of  pneumonia.  Dad took the boy - refused to bring him back to her when she was released.  She came into work for a day - learned her job was being eliminated -
On the way home, she had an "accident" on the Metro platform.  She was seen far from where the train would stop - up near the tunnel where the train was coming from.  She "fell" off the platform before the driver spotted her. Her death was called an accident.

 An interesting interview, Marcie.  I'll admit I was one who asked from the beginning - who is talking here?  A few times I thought it was Anis - but didn't want it to be.    I guess I really never took to Anis -wanted Van to wake up -  wanted Anis  to go away - certainly didn't want her to be in on the personal details of the store - if she turned out to be the narrator.

In deciding whether Cossé succeeded with this novel, it helps to know that she wanted to tell the story of the perfect bookstore like the one she dreamed about opening herself - and not necessarily the love story.  Jude, did the author  make that clear in the novel?  You felt that something was missing.  Perhaps the love story diverted our attention and interfered with the story of the perfect book store?   I felt she should have stuck to the bookstore - thought the introduction of the three new bookstores on the block strained credibility.  It was at that point that my attention  turned to Francesca and her love for Van.  And then she was gone.  And the bookstore closed. I felt an empty feeling when the book ended - rather than satisfaction.

[JudeS]

JoanP
Your post help me to make clear what was bothering me about this book.
The charming Francesca is gone. She was the glue that held the tale together. She is gone now. her lovely bookstore is surroundedb y three other copies of itself.  Lesser copies but still they are there.
Heffner was never fully fleshed out as a character.  He had infinite possibilities.
Van and Anis-well , without Francesca, they are simply people who have found happiness with each other but I can't say that this has enchanted me.
The people on the committee too were wisps which might have enchanted if I knew more.
The two men who worked in the bookstore never fully came alive.
Yet the book was interesting.  The settings well drawn. I can't say I wasted my time reading it.

AS far as your so sad coworker was concerned. I'm sure the accidental death was declared so that her son should not spend his life wondering if he caused his Mother to kill herself.  If there are children and the death could be an accident it will be called that.  Accident written on the death certificate saves a great deal of pain  for the relatives.

[marcie]

Joan and Jude, I appreciate your thinking aloud your reactions to the book. It's helped me to clarify mine. I do think that the relationship between Francisca and Van was intimately interwined with the bookstore. The fact that Van worked to keep the bookstore going, on an apparently self-sustaining model, is a tribute to what Francesca founded, with him. The story-line is a bit convoluted there (with Francesca's love for the "idea of her marriage" and Van's love for Anis --and Anis's attachment to Van, neither of which is very successfully explained).

I too think that the book was interesting and I'm glad I read it. It made me think about what I should spend my time reading.

I appreciate the participation and good discussion here with you all--Frybabe, JoanP, JudeS, Marjifay, Mippy, Kidsal and Barbara. Thanks, Barbara, especially for your thoughtful questions and informative links.

[JoanP]

And thank you, Marcie!  And everyone! I'm wondering if any of the titles - or authors - seem to be "good novels"  for book discussion here in SeniorLearn?