The Balcony by Jane Delury

THE BALCONY by Jane Delury is a novel in stories. The centerpiece is a manor house in near Paris which provides the background for over a hundred years of events, primarily in the life of one family.  Debut author Delury has chosen to not tell the story in chronological order, rather inviting her readers to make connections as the chapters flit from 1992 to 1890 back to 1980 and so on. The characters include Henri, a Resistance Fighter, his troubled sons named Guy and Jacques, two grandsons and a great-grand-daughter, appearing at different stages in their lives as well as a young au pair who is attracted to her employer, an alcoholic academic. Somehow, there’s quite a sense of foreboding and melancholy throughout these well-written stories. Personally, I would have preferred a few more happy memories for the deftly developed characters. THE BALCONY by Jane Delury received a starred review from Kirkus.