I enjoyed this novel about a woman (Violette) who was orphaned as a child and lived with a series of foster parents. At 17, she's working as a bartender and meets a man 10 years older with whom she falls in love. Philippe invites her to move in with him and in a short period of time she's pregnant. Philippe's parents don't approve, but they marry and take work as level-crossing keepers in a small town. The story is told in a non-chronological fashion, with the older Violette living alone as a caretaker in a cemetery. Her life is rich with friends, pets, and her garden, but it's a solitary existence that is interrupted when Julien Seul shows up to arrange to leave his mother's remains in the cemetery. As their friendship develops, she looks back into the past and we learn of everything that transpired to bring her to this point. There's love, loss, tragedy, betrayal, and much more, including a mystery that is only revealed at the end. It's a long book, and it could have been improved by leaving out a second narrative about Julien's mother and her lover Gabriel. This story doesn't add anything and only serves to stretch the book out to an excessive length. I feel like the translation was a little awkward as well, with many choices of words and phrases that don't ring true. Otherwise, it's a satisfying story.
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