Struggled with this. It's a rather breezy stream-of-consciousness inner monologue that clashes with description and dialogue. It was easy to read but often vague and confusing in terms of what was actually happening. I find this to be a common feature of many women writers. When they want to let you hear their thoughts, they seem to feel compelled to wrap it up in flowery language that keeps you at arm's length which slightly irritates me. A little too much navel gazing for my tastes. I liked her but she was just too self-indulgent. Is this really how women think or is it simply what they believe to be the most socially acceptable version? There are times when she almost crosses the line and tells us something real, something sincere, but then pulls back at the last minute and returns to gazing at the haunting shadows. I just find that stuff frustrating.

The plot is essentially a drunk middle-aged woman swanning about Paris and reminiscing about her youth when she was first in Paris with her ex husband. We then discover that she lost a baby and that he left her. She's now a lonely and lost alcoholic being pursued by various men and one gigolo in particular. She lives in a series of dingy hotel rooms and fights the insomnia while wandering from one café/bar to the next.

The inner monologue was fine when it was interrupting dialogue but felt a little jarring when it was interrupting description and narrative. That resulted in the general narrative being all over the place and I often wasn't sure if she was describing events currently taking place or events of the past. Nice and short though so it was a pleasing read.

If you like this kind of writing then you'll love this. For the most part, I'd probably recommend it.