The Dragonfly

Author(s): Kate Dunn

Location(s): Paris, Burgundy-Franche-Comté

Genre(s): Fiction, Travelogue

Era(s): Contemporary

The Dragonfly offers an enchanting account of the relationship between a middle-aged Englishman, Colin and his French granddaughter, Delphine, who are thrown together when her mother is killed.
A complicated and unhappy family history haunts this unlikely couple on their voyage on Colin’s small boat, the Dragonfly. The story unfolds along the beautiful rivers south of Paris, through dramatic landscapes, punctuated by exquisite medieval villages.
Delphine is nine years old and full of attitude and pain. At first she confounds her grandfather, who is used to a solitary, retired life and does not speak French, but gradually they come to trust each other, and he allows long-buried resentments and painful, complex emotions to surface as he rediscovers both the joys and burdens of parenting.
But there’s an even greater shadow over their journey: how did Delphine’s mother die? Her father, Colin’s son, is in prison awaiting trial for her murder…

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