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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Difficulty of Overcoming the Past
Throughout the novel, many characters struggle to escape from a past that seems to limit their options and define their future. Jess, for example, flees to Paris to avoid the legal consequences of her past actions. Though she feels that she was justified in locking her former employer in a bathroom and taking money out of the cash register, this retaliatory act forces her to leave her job, her home, and her country. In Paris, she attempts to get off to a fresh start, but quickly learns that this is not always so easy. She cannot report Ben’s disappearance to the police, for example, because she would have to give them her legal name, which might lead to her arrest.
Sophie also struggles to escape from her past. When she marries Jacques, she feels that she has left her former life as an illegal immigrant and sex worker behind her. When she begins to receive blackmail letters, however, she realizes that her past will continue to haunt her, threatening to ruin the high-class persona she has carefully crafted over many years. The blackmail letters are a representation of the difficulty of overcoming the past and starting anew.
By the end of the novel, however, many characters are successful in moving on from the past and turning a new page. Because of her own experiences, Jess believes strongly in the importance of second chances. She ensures that the women who work at La Petite Mort are given enough money to start a new life somewhere else, leaving the exploitative club behind them. When she sees the Concierge at the train station heading to Nice, she turns away, hoping that the older woman can start a new life without having to fear that the past will come back to haunt her.
The Exploitation and Abuse of Women
The exploitation and abuse of women by men is a major theme throughout the novel. Before leaving for Paris, Jess works for a predatory man whose nickname is “The Pervert,” who encourages her to wear tight-fitting, low-cut clothing to attract male customers at the bar in Brighton where she serves as a bartender. When he exposes his genitalia to her, she retaliates against him, forcing her to leave Britain to avoid being arrested. Her background and experiences make her particularly sensitive to the plight of women. When Antoine throws Dominique’s suitcase at her, scattering its contents on the ground, she rushes out to help, feeling sympathy for any woman in an abusive relationship. This sympathy stems, in part, from the abuse that her mother faced at the hands of her own father, a police officer who was well-respected in his community despite the violence he inflicted upon his wife at home.
When Jess meets Irina later in the novel, she feels strongly for the young woman, who traveled from her home country in order to start a new life but quickly found herself trapped in sex work due to the limited options available to her as an illegal immigrant. The club, La Petite Mort, is owned by the Meunier family, and Jess is horrified to discover that their family wealth has been built upon the sexual exploitation of the women who work at the club, some of whom contract diseases in the course of their work. Will and Mimi are similarly horrified to learn about the nature of their family business, though neither of them takes action to put an end to the exploitation.
The Impact of Class and Economic Status
Class plays a major role in the novel, limiting characters’ options and defining their outcomes in life. Jess and Ben were both raised in relative poverty by a mother who was addicted to drugs. Ben, however, is adopted by the wealthy Daniel family, who send him to expensive boarding schools and teach him how to rub shoulders with the wealthy. Jess, in contrast, is bumped around the foster care system and sometimes placed with abusive families. Despite being siblings, they are raised in different socioeconomic classes, and as a result, they experience very different outcomes in life. Ben attends Cambridge University, where he meets other wealthy young people such as Nick who have the money to travel around Europe. Nick and Ben enjoy the fantasy that they are “roughing it” in their travels, living in cheap accommodations and visiting sketchy bars while nevertheless spending a good deal of money.
Jess, in comparison, has never left Britain until arriving in Paris. In fact, she must steal the money that she uses to purchase her Eurostar rail ticket, as she has little disposable income. This contrast in the lifestyles and opportunities available to Nick and Jess highlights the role that class plays in determining a person’s outcomes in life. Where Ben is comfortable navigating the upper-class environments of Paris, Jess is looked down upon by the wealthy Meuniers for her cheap clothing and lower-class mannerisms.
