Paris in July: Island of Mists and Miracles by Victoria Mas

I often try to read at least one book by a French author for Paris in July, not in French though. Over the last few years I have read Antoine Laurain, Valerie Perrin and last year Victoria Mas's book The Mad Women's Ball. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed that book given that it was quite dark.

That darkness is something that permeates The Island of Mists and Miracles, although it is a very different book. The story brings together a number of characters to a small together on l'île de Batz, a tiny island off the coast of Brittany. 

Sister Anne is a nun who believes that she has been promised that she would see a visitation of Mother Mary, and therefore she accepts a mission that takes her to Brittany. She had turned to religion after some childhood trauma. Before accepting the mission, she had rarely left her community so it she is very much out of his comfort zone. 

One of the residents of the island is Isaac, an outsider from a devout family and then there is Hugo, his only friend whose family life is shaped by the fact that his younger sister, Julia, is always sick.

With Anne waiting for the visitation, she is disappointed when she is not the one who sees but rather it is to Isaac that the vision is revealed, setting in wheels a series of events that quickly get out of control. At first the islanders are intrigued at the idea that Isaac is seeing the vision. Some believe wholeheartedly, like his grandmother Madden, but others do not, like Hugo's father who forbids Hugo from seeing Isaac. It doesn't take long for intrigue to turn to jealousy and other, more primitive emotions.

For a very short book, this story is very powerful and it has so many layers. It is a story of grief, of friendship, of small island rivalries, of faith and tragedy. It is mystical, mystical, shattering and human. The sea and the natural environment of the Breton countryside are very much part of the story and help build the atmosphere in the story! There are also quite a few mentions of traditions and foods from the area

In French, the title for this book is Un Miracle so it is interesting that the title in English is so much longer. I think the simpler title actually works better in this case. 

Framing the story, we also hear the story of Catherine Labouré who was a young novice in 1830 who had a vision of the Virgin Mary

Both of the books from Victoria Mas have kind of mixed reviews, but for whatever reason her writing style really works for me. I like the depth that she achieves within a short time, the way that she looks at relationships with a good dash of mysticism and religion. I already know that I am to read whatever Victoria Mas comes out with next! As an aside, I just found out this week that Mad Women's Ball was adapted into a movie. I am planning to watch the movie over the weekend!

In addition to reading this book for Paris in July, it also counts for the Books in Translation challenge hosted at Introverted Reader and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host.

Rating 4.5/5