My French Whore
Living a simple life as a train conductor and sometime actor, Paul Peachy realizes his wife will never be happy. So he impulsively joins the army and ships off for the trenches of World War I France. Because of his fluency in German, he is given the task of interrogating an enemy soldier, who confides that he is the great spy Harry Stroller. Through a twist of fate, Paul soon finds himself in German hands, forced to impersonate the famous spy to save his life. Now granted a life of unaccustomed luxury, he experiences fine wines, sumptuous dinners, a personal driver, and the services of a beautiful French courtesan named Annie. An unlikely romance ensues, one that changes the worldly Annie as much as Paul.
This is a book you might expect of Gene Wilder (yes, that Gene Wilder). Brief and simply written, it is almost childlike in outlook. The main character, who one will inevitably imagine as Mr. Wilder himself, possesses the dual nature of the clown. Although markedly innocent, there is also a certain darkness surrounding him. The person- behind-the-mask theme is even more sharply drawn with Annie, when he demands she remove her makeup for him. It is as if this act transforms her, restoring her from the object her occupation demands to the woman he can love. It is a fairy tale perhaps, but an engaging one that walks the fine line between comedy and pathos.
