The Room on Rue Amelie

Set in Paris during World War II, this novel follows Ruby, an American woman who marries a Frenchman in 1938. As war approaches and Germany occupies France, her marriage deteriorates and her husband Marcel becomes distant and secretive. When Marcel is killed, Ruby learns he was a member of the French resistance and resolves to continue his work. Ruby becomes involved in hiding Allied soldiers, including a RAF pilot, who have landed in enemy territory. Her commitment is tested further when she begins sheltering Charlotte, her twelve-year-old Jewish neighbor, after Charlotte's family is rounded up by the Gestapo. Ruby and Charlotte form a close bond, but as German forces tighten their grip on Paris and the political situation evolves, the danger surrounding them intensifies. The novel explores how their fates become unexpectedly intertwined amid the perils of occupied France.