The Girl on Paper [Paperback]

On the surface this is a fast-paced, funny and engaging romp which flits from one exotic location to another - a Malibu beach house, a luxury hotel in Mexico, Paris, Rome . . . travelling by jet plane, Bugatti, ancient motor scooter - all very enjoyable but not much like real life. However, at the heart of the novel is an engagement with Voltaire's statement, "The most useful books are those of which the readers themselves compose half," and I found that, almost despite myself, my initial scepticism was gradually eroded as I was drawn into the story of Billie, the character who fell out of a book and into real life. Except it isn't real life: it is a book and all the other characters are the product of the author's mind being brought to life in my imagination.
In the end, this was an enjoyable novel on a number of levels; likeable characters, exciting action but also a touch of philosophy. Does this make it typical of French contemporary popular fiction? Slight echoes of "The Elegance of the Hedgehog"? Clearly I need to read more to find out.

Through a series of newspaper/magazine articles and emails the reader gains an insight into Tom's success, Aurore's success and the rise and fall of their relationship. I thought this was a unique way to give the reader background!

The story opens with Tom's best friend and `business' partner Milo trying to get into Tom's luxury home in Malibu Colony. Breaking in he finds Tom unconscious and surrounded by pill boxes. Milo manages to get him out of his home. We find out that the special edition of Tom's last book has a major problem - only half of the book has been printed resulting in the publishers having to pulp 10,000 copies (minus the copy that Milo has). We also find out that an investment Milo made has gone wrong ... leaving them bankrupt.

We're then introduced to Carole. All three of them grew up at MacArthur Park (a hangout for heroin addicts, criminal gangs and poverty). Their friendship is a theme that is explored in the story. Their childhood background is always just a whisper away from the lives they are living now.

Back in Malibu, Tom throws the half-printed book in the trash. He swallows a handful of sleeping pills and tranquillisers. Having been woken from his drugged sleep by a storm, he finds a naked woman in his home. Enter Billie Donelly, a secondary character from his trilogy. She has fallen out of the half-printed book and convinces Tom that she really is Billie.

Milo and Carole arrange sleep therapy for Tom but when he arrives, he realises they are going to have him committed. Escaping dramatically with Billie, the adventure begins ...

On their journey to Aurore in Mexico there is excitement and suspense. Starting out in Milo's Bugatti, mishaps mean their transport downsizes (as does their luggage) eventually arriving on foot. There is also suspense and excitement with Milo and Carole locating and trying to catch up with the journey that Tom's trashed copy of the half-finished book takes. The only remaining copy, it is central to Billie's well-being. I've journeyed to America, Mexico, Rome, Paris and Asia and actually felt as if I've spent time there!

There is also plenty of romance. The emotion builds between Tom and Billie and I felt quite distraught when it was time for Billie to go back to being a character between the pages of a book. We find out early on in the story that Milo has always loved Carole and become involved in them each having to come to terms with their own shadows. There is one dramatic scene, which shocked Milo but ultimately forced the truth to be told.

Another unique factor for me is the two different narratives throughout The Girl on Paper. When we are with Tom, it's a first person narrative and with Milo and Carole, third person. I thought this worked really well.

As with `Where Would I be Without You?' there are apt quotations at the beginning of each chapter that are relevant to what you are about to read. Loved this.

The pace of the plot is fast with crises and resolution throughout. I loved the use of personification, for example on page 257:

"The air was mild and the pale full moon was admiring its own reflection on the surface of the water."

The twist in the plot ... amazing! I had absolutely no idea. Brilliant! I learnt something about myself after reflecting on my reaction...

I'll be looking out for The Angel's Call which is due summer 2013.

The Girl on Paper is translated by Emily Boyce and Anna Aitken.

I would like to thank Gallic Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tom Boyd is the massively successful author of the first two volumes in the Angel Trilogy, "In the company of angels" and "The memory of angels". When we meet Tom his books have captivated the world, with massive sales and his tale of a doomed love affair between a young woman and her guardian angel. However, outside of this success, things are not going so well. The third part of the trilogy has stalled, as Tom's love affair with the French pianist Aurore Valancourt comes very publicly to a halt and he suffers writers block. Even as Tom, and his friends Milo and Carole, have crawled out of a crime ridden LA neighbourhood to success, they may be headed back into obscurity. Because not only has Tom lost the woman he adores and is unable to write, or even fuction, but Milo has lost all his money. Into this chaotic mix comes Billie, who is a character in Tom's novels. She arrives, naked, tipped out from a batch of books which have been mis-printed and end in mid-paragraph.

This is a wonderful novel, with lots of excitement, good characters and frantic chasing from place to place. Can Milo make good the fact he has lost all Tom's money? Can he and Carole track down the book that Billie needs to go back to her world? Can Tom win back the beautiful Aurore and finish the third part of the trilogy? This book is about friendship, what is really important in life, the modern cult of celebrity and the magical world of books. It is a modern road book and we head from LA to Mexico, to France and Rome and almost everywhere in between in pursuit of answers to the problems that Tom and his friends encounter. I really enjoyed this novel and cared about the characters. An excellent read and highly recommended. I will certainly be looking for more from this extremely talented author and hope he never experiences the writers block he inflicted on his own fictional character!