DEBUT NOVEL CHRONICLES CRUCIAL WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A YOUNG AMERICAN WOMAN IN PARIS

"the kind of novel that seems polished of every extraneous word, shaped like a bullet for velocity… Such fierce control over her material, coupled with feeling and beauty of language, makes Failing Paris the successful debut that it is. By giving us exactly enough, Dunn makes us wish there were more." - Los Angeles Times

"Well, how is it there, then? " This simple, direct question, asked by a fellow writer, was all the inspiration Samantha Dunn needed to write her haunting, keenly observed and richly atmospheric first novel, FAILING PARIS (Hardcover, ISBN: 1-902881-01-X, $19.95. Paperback ISBN: 1902881176, $12.95).

Ms. Dunn, an American journalist who had spent years in France, was attending a writer's workshop when she took exception to a fellow writer's idealized depiction of Paris and its inhabitants. In answer to the other writer's challenge, she returned home and wrote the words that begin her novel: "This is how it is."

FAILING PARIS opens on a pivotal Monday in the life of Sabine Wilcox, a 19-year-old American exchange student in Paris. She has come to the Hôpital Saint Louis to undergo psychological testing in preparation for an abortion. The week between this interview and the procedure is the time in which the events of FAILING PARIS unfold. As Sabine's past and present painfully collide, her life intertwines with two men who seem to offer all she needs.

Like many young Americans, Sabine has come to Paris to escape her past as well as to find herself. Raised in a stifling New Mexico town by an alcoholic mother and a drug-addicted stepfather, the troubled young woman now shares a flat with a French roommate to whom she hardly speaks. Her life consists of irrelevant classes, aimless walks, meaningless sex with men she barely remembers. Throughout the week, events spark memories of growing up-memories of sadness and loss.

Although she is drifting, Sabine is far from unaware. Entering her mind, we meet a woman who is impressively observant, relentlessly introspective, preternaturally wise for her years. ("Waiting is the most salient part of going anywhere," she declares.) A natural poet, she is ever mindful of the beauty and power of language."Present...It is the same word in both languages, the French just fluffier at the edges, a puff of a word." Another time she confesses, "I believed French would cover me with civilization..."

Early in the week, Sabine stops going to classes in order to scrape together the money she needs for the abortion. In a bar, she meets Praquin, a vulgar, arrogant older man who describes his occupation as "looking for the shape of life." Actually, he is an artist for whom Sabine agrees to model. "Napoleon said come to Paris and become a woman," he tells her.

At the same time, Sabine chances on Abe, a seductive young Lebanese who frequents the McDonald's where she goes to assuage homesickness. To her delight and regret, both he and Praquin are more and less than what they first appear.

In addition to the principals, FAILING PARIS is peopled with compelling supporting characters deftly drawn by the author's masterful hand. There is Mme Doumic, the prying concierge who compares French and American cultures by the way cheese is sliced...Pascale, the roommate with whom Sabine unexpectedly bonds over the recipe for vinaigrette. With its grand boulevards and smoky cafes, the city becomes a character as well. Sabine's meditations afford a powerfully sensual experience of Parisian streets and buildings, food and weather. "This afternoon hangs so low, so grey, the clouds are in my hair. "

Finally, beyond the moving story of a young woman's self-discovery, FAILING PARIS engages the reader with its provocative themes (from alienation to the meaning of family, from American racism to Parisian xenophobia) and artistry. The language delights, images dazzle, scenes resonate with profound understanding and palpable emotion. The story of Sabine Wilcox may turn on failures-some redeemed, others not-but in that, FAILING PARIS proves to be a brilliant success.

"I have been listening to everyone in the hope that I might hear how life can be lived and that someone can tell me that they know how to make it all right. That is no longer necessary...."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samantha Dunn, a respected journalist now living in Malibu, California, was raised in a trailer estate in northern New Mexico. She left home to become an exchange student in Australia, returned to attend New Mexico State University, and upon graduation, accepted a fellowship to complete a master's degree in Paris, France. Once there, she left university in favor of Parisian life outside academia. Among her many unusual jobs was reviewing music for the heavy metal publication, Hard Force.

Back in the states, before turning to fiction, Dunn had regular column in the L.A. Reader ("Sleeping with Dogs") and contributed to a wide range of magazines and newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, Details, Cosmopolitan, Premiere, and Men's Fitness. In 1998, she won the Maggie Award for Signature Essay from the West Coast Magazine Publishers Association.

A chance meeting with poet/novelist Kate Braverman started her on the path to writing fiction. Dunn attended the The New York State Summer Writers Institute and her short fiction has appeared in Portland, Oregon's Rain City Review, L.A.'s Voices West and San Francisco's Speak.

Currently Dunn writes regularly for InStyle and is a contributing editor at Bikini magazine. An avid equestrian, her article on recovering from a riding accident that nearly severed a leg is to appear late this year in Women's Sports & Fitness.