New Zealand born, Max Jackson is living with his French wife and children in Paris. He teaches at the Sorbonne and is writing a book comparing V.S. Naipaul and Doris Lessing. His wife, Louise is a professor and is also writing a book. They have a mutual appreciation of each others academic success but their personal life is faltering and Max has moved to the flat downstairs, while his wife and family reside upstairs. This allows them to share parenting duties.
Max becomes enamoured of another colleague Sylvie who is living with a German, Bertholdt Volker, a television producer. There is not a lot of future in this relationship, as Bertholdt has a wife and family in Germany whom he intends returning to.
One of Max's students, Helen White, seeks him out as she has discovered a book of poetry that he wrote when he was young. She admits to him that she is bipolar and is medicated with Lithium, her necessary angel. Max muses on whether Sylvie will become his necessary angel.
He embarks on relationships with both women but is forced to reconsider when it is discovered that a valuable painting has gone missing from his wife's flat, after he had foolishly taken Helen upstairs. A police case ensues although Louise unaware of Max's activity believes her cousins have stolen it.
This book provided a fresh setting and is peppered with literary references. At least I can now appreciate the references to V.S. Naipaul. ( )