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THE BALCONY

Jane Delury

This wonderful novel-in-stories is set in the fictional village of Benneville in France, an hour south of Paris, and the stories revolve around the inhabitants of a single property, which includes a manor and a cottage. Following generations of successive owners of this property, the collection explores the themes of marriage, infidelity, motherhood, aging, and the role of deception in relationships.

What if our homes could tell the stories of others who lived there before us? Set in a small village near Paris, The Balcony follows the inhabitants of a single estate-including a manor and a servants' cottage-over the course of several generations, from the Belle Époque to the present day, introducing us to a fascinating cast of characters. A young American au pair develops a crush on her brilliant employer. An ex-courtesan shocks the servants, a Jewish couple in hiding from the Gestapo attract the curiosity of the neighbors, and a housewife begins an affair while renovating her downstairs. Rich and poor, young and old, powerful and persecuted, all of these people are seeking something: meaning, love, a new beginning, or merely survival. Throughout, cross-generational connections and troubled legacies haunt the same spaces, so that the rose garden, the forest pond, and the balcony off the manor's third floor bedroom become silent witnesses to a century of human drama. In her debut, Jane Delury writes with masterful economy and profound wisdom about growing up, growing old, marriage, infidelity, motherhood - in other words, about life - weaving a gorgeous tapestry of relationships, life-altering choices, and fleeting moments across the frame of the twentieth century. A sumptuous narrative of place that burrows deep into individual lives to reveal hidden regrets, resentments, and desires, The Balcony is brimming with compassion, natural beauty, and unmistakable humanity. The stories originally appeared in Narrative,The Southern Review, The Yale Review, Story Quarterly, Crazyhorse, and Prairie Schooner. "Nothing of Consequence" received a PEN/O. Henry Prize, and "Between" was awarded a Maryland State Arts council artist award. "Eclipse" received the Hugh J. Luke Prize fromPrairie Schooner. Jane Delury holds a master's degree in literary studies from the University of Grenoble, France, and an MA in fiction from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. She is currently an associate professor in the MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts program at the University of Baltimore.

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Book Published 2018-03-27 by Little Brown

Comments

An enthralling picture of life in a French village. In ways both profound and moving Jane Delury shows on page after beautiful page how her characters live inextricably in a time and a place. A stellar debut.

The vivid intimacy of Delury's canvas is enhanced by descriptive prose at once concise and lush. Read more...

Taken one at a time Jane Delury's rich, complex, darkly intimate stories never fail to surprise and intrigue. The group is arranged in a fractal, fernlike pattern for which a term has yet to be coinedbut it feels like a genuinely new kind of narrative structure, fit for the twenty-first century. Not a conventional novel and by no means a simple collection, The Balcony marks the debut of a major talent, and opens a door to a whole new way of storytelling.

With the assurance of a seasoned pro, Jane Delury spans decades, adopts a multitude of voices, and explores with the keen-eyed sensibility of Elena Ferrante or Claire Messud marriage, infidelity, motherhood, aging, money, greed, and the workings of fate. A complex and utterly engaging debut.

The Balcony is a delightful literary page-turner in the best sense of the word. I loved these characters, and the way Jane Delury has woven them together is wonderfully surprising, heartbreaking, and elegant. In terms of 'smart books about going abroad', it's up there with The Vacationers and Helen Walsh's The Lemon Grove. I was sad when it endedalways a good sign.

Riveting debut fiction Read more...

"Jane Delury's gifts as a writer of fiction are in such abundance here, it is difficult to know where to begin: her characters - each and every one - whether male or female, young or old, French or American, wealthy or just barely surviving, a child of the 20th century or one-hundred years earlier - are living, breathing human beings I came to love and, in some cases, to mourn. Her landscapes are rendered as deftly as an impressionist painter's, and the pacing of each narrative in this exquisitely rendered novel-in-stories is downright masterly. But, what I admire most about The Balcony, is the depth and range of its inherent humanity. I adore this book. It is a true work of art and a most impressive literary debut."

"The prose is tight and each story is told well; this is a satisfying examination of the various and irrevocable ways lives intersect."

The Balcony is sweeping, suspenseful, rich with surprises and eerie atmosphere. Jane Delury arrives on the scene of her debut with a sensibility fully formed and a breathtaking array of writerly gifts at her command.

Centered around an enduring manor house in a French village and peppered with Tintin and chocolat, The Balcony feels profoundly universal. Inhabitants of Benneville may come and go, but their humanity remains steadfast through episodes that range from surprising to tragic. Jane Delury's writing is always self-possessed and elegant, but I found myself moved to tears more than once.