the Secret of Doors: and Other Very Serious Little Matters

At 17 rue des Amandiers, ordinary things have a way of becoming complicated.A gate that may or may not be safer closed. A half-open door that makes everyone curious. An elevator breakdown that suddenly forces neighbors to notice one another.In three connected short stories, The Secret of the Doors follows the residents of one apartment building as they argue, interfere, help, misunderstand, and occasionally surprise each other.Claire Martin wants order. Yaël and Nathan enjoy questioning it. Mei makes imperfect ceramic bowls. Karim counts steps. Louis keeps his door slightly open but his private life firmly his own. And when the elevator stops working, everyone discovers that helping someone is not always the same as deciding what is best for them.Funny, warm, and quietly philosophical, these stories explore curiosity, privacy, security, community, aging, and the invisible boundaries between people.No one at 17 rue des Amandiers becomes a perfect neighbor. They still disagree. They still close their doors. They simply become a little better at knowing when to knock.A light, witty collection about the small choices that determine how much of the world-and of one another-we allow into our lives