The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
Martin County Library System Book Club Kit:
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Included in the Kit:
• Book summary
• Author biography
• Discussion questions
• Recipe suggestion
Book summary
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and
alone, and she’s just left her job under
less than ideal circumstances. Her half-
brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when
she asked if she could crash with him for a
bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely
everything will look better from Paris.
Only when she shows up – to find a very
nice apartment, could Ben really have
afforded this? – he’s not there.
The longer Ben stays missing, the more
Jess starts to dig into her brother’s
situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are
an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have
come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s
Ben’s future that’s in question.
The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge
Everyone's a neighbor. Everyone's a suspect. And everyone knows something
they’re not telling.
Source: Harper Collins website (harpercollins.com)
Meet the Author
Lucy Foley studied English Literature at
Durham and University College London (UCL)
universities. She then worked for several years
as a fiction editor in the publishing industry—
during which time she wrote The Book of Lost
and Found, which was a bestselling debut of
2015. Lucy now writes full-time, with her
crime novels The Hunting Party and The Guest
List being published in 2018 and 2020
respectively to critical acclaim. Her newest
novel, The Paris Apartment, published in
March 2022, instantly took the number one spot on The New York Times
bestseller list. It has sold in over 40 territories and the movie rights have been
acquired by Sony.
Source: “Lucy Foley.” Curtis Brown. (curtisbrown.co.uk/client/lucy-foley)
The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
Discussion Questions
1. “It’s a beautiful building, but there’s something rotten at its heart. Now
that he’s discovered it, he can smell the stench of it everywhere”. This
descriptive quote from Ben comes early in the book. How did you find the
descriptive writing? What did you like/dislike about it?
2. “Benjamin Daniels, he destroyed everything”, says Sophie. The concierge
also says that he “changed everything”. These early quotes foreshadow
what is to come. What does this foreshadowing add suspense and
narrative?
3. Ben’s sister Jess is also treated as an intrusion into the building. As an
outsider, they find her suspicious and in turn, she finds them a riddle. How
does her outsider status help to drive the story?
4. “You cannot do anything in this building without half-expecting the
concierge to appear from some dark corner, as if formed from the shadows
themselves”, says Sophie. What is the role of the concierge, and how does
she add to the mood of the story?
5. The concierge believes that because she and Sophie have lived in the
building for so long, they’ve become invisible, part of the scenery. Is that
true?
6. Jacques is an elusive character and yet he has all of the power over the
family. He controls his wife, infantilizes his sons and ignores his daughter.
Discuss some of the ways that he controls them and how it affects what
ultimately happens.
7. Do a run down on the characters. Which is your most/least favorite? What
are they hiding? What did you find intriguing about those secrets? And how
are they expressing emotions like shame, pride, disgust, deprivation,
yearning, obsession, rage, loneliness and grief?
8. Holy smokes, Nick’s not dead!?! What did you think of the twist? And also
the even twistier twist regarding Jacques’ new resting place in the garden?
Source: “The Paris Apartment.” Libromaniacs. (libromaniacs.com/the-paris-apartment-book-club-
questions)
The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
Recipes
Crepes
This French delicacy is extremely versatile,
as it can be filled with virtually anything—
fruits, pudding, mousse for desserts as well
as vegetables and meats for dinner. No need
to add more oil each time unless the pan
begins to stick. Freeze extra crepes for later
use.
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
In a blender combine eggs, milk, flour, salt and oil. Process until smooth. Cover
and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and brush with
oil. Pour 1/4 cup of crepe batter into pan, tilting to completely coat the surface of
the pan. Cook 2 to 5 minutes, turning once, until golden. Repeat with remaining
batter.
Source: “Crepes.” Allrecipes. (allrecipes.com/recipe/27188/crepes)
The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
French Butter Cookies (Sable Breton)
Classic French butter cookies with a shortbread-type of dough and salted butter.
• 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup and 5 tablespoons
salted butter*
• 3 egg yolks, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups and 2 Tablespoons all-
purpose flour, plus more for
dusting work surface
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a
silicone mat. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and
fluffy—about 1 minute. Add 2 egg yolks and the vanilla extract, and mix on
medium speed until they’re incorporated. Stop to scrape the bowl with a rubber
spatula before resuming the mixing. Add the flour in and mix on low speed just
until the dough starts to clump together.
Lightly flour a wooden board or counter before placing the mass of dough onto it.
Use your hands to shape the dough into a big ball. Then sprinkle some flour on
top of the dough before using a rolling pin to roll the dough out. As soon as the
dough starts sticking to your pin, sprinkle a pinch of flour on the dough, then
resume rolling. Roll your dough out until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. Use
medium round cookie cutters (2 1/4 inch) to cut out round cookies from the
dough. Use a sharp-edged spatula to transfer the cookie rounds onto the baking
sheet. Place 12 cookies on the baking sheet, spaced out from each other.
Beat the remaining yolk in a small bowl. Use a fork to make a cross-hatch pattern
on the cookies (drag the fork down vertically on the cookie, then drag the fork
across horizontally). Brush the tops of the cookies with the beaten egg yolk. Bake
The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
the cookies for 12 to 15 min., until they’re a deep golden color. Transfer the
cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes: Typically, 1/2 a cup of salted butter contains 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the
butter. Therefore if you’re using unsalted butter in this recipe, you’ll want to add
a scant 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the recipe.
Source: “French Butter Cookies.” Mon Petit Four.
(monpetitfour.com/french-butter-cookies)
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