Review of The Secret Twins of Paris by Suzanne Kelman

Review of The Secret Twins of Paris by Suzanne Kelman

Release date: January 20th, 2025

Publisher: Bookouture

REVIEW

Suzanne Kelman always writes with fierce emotional intensity and honesty. And The Secret Twins of Paris is another prime example of a heart wrenching story set during the horrors of WWII. This time the ongoing resistance against tyranny is headed by a group of artistic individuals.

Musicians, singers and dancers, working to save the city of love, try desperately to prevent everything ‘that makes life beautiful’ from being shut down by the Nazis. During the darkest hours in history, under enemy occupation, Paris and its residents are bound by a new set of rules and restrictions. But still they make an effort to preserve what is sacred and to survive. Everyone is being watched and nobody can be trusted. Contradictions are everywhere. Sadly some take the enemy’s side to stay alive, while others find quiet ways to resist as they work undercover in theatre, ballet and jazz clubs. But there are many secrets lurking in these venues. Some shocking twists are about to unfold and Suzanne keeps us guessing, in suspense and on the edge of our seats wondering who will succeed and who will fail. There is a great fear that the Nazis will shut down the theatre. Which friends, family members and colleagues will be captured, questioned or sent away?

The novel opens with a heartbreaking Prologue in the past. Twin girls, ‘young and vulnerable,’ are leaving Gigi’s care. Her sister Charlotte is taking them on a train to safety. With their father gone and their mother needing to remain nameless to keep them safe, these children have no other options. Suzanne puts us in Gigi’s shoes and allows us to feel all the sad and fearful emotions one would expect as she lets them go.

Then in chapter one we are thrust forward to 2011 to meet Lily Tremaine (daughter of one of the twin girls). She is sitting in the hospital where her sick mother is ‘caught between life and death.’ Rebecca has survived loss and war but she has not fulfilled her silent wish. Secrets of her past life are contained within a bank security box. Now unable to explain or continue her lifelong desire, she asks Lily to retrieve the item so that she and her sister Clare can learn about their mother’s past. When Lily opens the box and reads the letter Rebecca prepared for them, she is shocked. She never knew her mother had a twin sister and that they were separated.

Lily then makes it her mission to find the missing twin sister Rachel. This is a huge part of the plot as it also leads Lily to make discoveries of her own. Her marriage troubles and betrayal unveil and heartbreak erupts. But in the midst of the broken mess, she sees a newspaper article that sparks her interest. Forgotten Photographs of Victor Renaud at an exhibition. That show 1940s Paris. This is great timing with her need to find answers about her family’s past. She attends the exhibition and hears Julien Renaud, a photographer and the grandson of Victor, speak about the history the photos reveal. She falls deeply into the past world and feels the ‘fear and resilience of a city under occupation.’ Then she sees a photograph of children at a train station and at its centre are twins. She wonders: is this her mother and twin sister? She approaches Julien and asks. But his grandfather’s notes are incomplete—whether done on purpose to protect identities, he does not know. This meeting is the start of a journey they take together to unveil more of the mysteries of the past. But another connection happens, too, that neither of them are expecting. Lily’s life will take a drastic turn.

We follow Gigi in the 1940s timeline that is filled with many twists, turns, surprises, heartache, attraction and romance. We live in the past through her eyes. Some friends become enemies. Betrayal of relationships abound. But we also see the inner workings of the theatre during this fateful era. And we learn about the suffering and chaos.

I felt transported to the setting with Suzanne’s vivid poetic descriptions. The characters past and present are wonderfully drawn. The plot is believable about twins being separated during the Second World War. Set in two timelines: one during early 1940s (led by Gigi) and a more current one in 2011 (told through Lily Tremaine, daughter of one of the twins). You get the whole picture, clear and complete.

This is a profound story of risk, separation and loss but also one of victory, reunion and new beginnings. And most of all, courage and love beat at its core. My heart pained so much it hurt. At others time it raced so wildly I thought it would leap from my chest. I had tears of sadness and other times tears of joy. This book has it all. This is a must read for historical fiction lovers in 2026. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a review copy.