September 2013 Host:  Nancy

 

Pure by Andrew Miller

 

Summary

 

Pure is an unusual, yet well written piece of historical fiction set in Paris, France, in the years preceding the French Revolution.  Jean-Baptiste Barratte, an engineer from Normandy, has been given the job of excavating the vast pits of the cemetery of les Innocents located in the center of Paris.  Bodies have been piled into the cemetery for centuries and the King is concerned about the filth and contamination that emanates from the cemetery. The stench permeates the food, clothing, and people of the area and Jean-Baptiste is given one year to make it pure.  The removal of the graveyard is a subject of historical record and the bones end up in the famous catacombs of Paris, where they can be seen to this day.  The novel follows the progress of the engineer and the relationships he forges with his workers, the family he boards with, and others in the neighborhood.  The coming revolution is foreshadowed throughout the novel, allowing the reader to fill in some of the blanks.  This book is a winner of the Costa Book award. 

 

Menu

 

Spinach Dip

 

Rice and Naan

 

Chickpea Curry

 

Dessert