First published 2000
Luke and Alex, two British workers in their twenties, drift through Paris's margins in the late 1990s. Their friendship becomes a lifeline as they navigate casual labor, romantic entanglements, and the seductive promise of a city that exists outside conventional rhythms. When Luke falls for a Serbian woman named Nicole, their shared expatriate experience transforms into something more dangerous and consuming. Each man tests the boundaries of pleasure, work, and connection—discovering how fragile constructed lives can become when passion interrupts routine. Their story pulses with the raw electricity of youth unmoored from expectation.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, contemporary-romance
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, friends-to-lovers
Setting: Manor, Paris
Period: 20th Century
272 pages · Paperback · North Point Press