“I had the impression that I was walking in the footsteps of a shadow.”
Chapter 1: The Disappearance
The novel opens with Jean B., a documentary filmmaker, stumbling upon an old photograph of a couple—Ingrid and Rigaud—in a secondhand bookshop. The image triggers fragmented memories of a brief encounter he had with them twenty years earlier. Jean becomes obsessed with uncovering their story, sensing a mystery buried in the past.
Chapter 2: Fragments of Memory
Jean recalls meeting Ingrid by chance in a café in 1960s Paris. She was enigmatic, melancholic, and spoke vaguely about her husband Rigaud’s sudden disappearance. Their conversation was brief, but Ingrid’s presence lingered in Jean’s mind. He later learns that Rigaud was involved in shady dealings and may have fled France.
Chapter 3: The Vanishing
Jean retraces Ingrid’s steps, discovering she vanished shortly after their meeting. He interviews acquaintances who offer contradictory accounts—some claim she followed Rigaud abroad, others insist she died. The ambiguity deepens Jean’s fixation, blurring the line between his memories and the elusive truth.
Chapter 4: Echoes of the Past
Through old hotel registers and newspaper clippings, Jean reconstructs Ingrid and Rigaud’s troubled marriage. Their lives were marked by instability, financial ruin, and a fleeting attempt at escape—a “honeymoon” that was more of a desperate flight. Jean’s investigation becomes a reflection on time and forgotten lives.
Chapter 5: The Unanswered Question
Jean’s search leads him to a coastal town where Ingrid was last seen. He finds no closure, only whispers of her presence in empty streets and abandoned buildings. The novel ends with Jean accepting that some mysteries remain unresolved, much like the transient nature of memory itself.
Key Ideas
- The fragility and unreliability of memory
- The search for identity in a fragmented past
- Isolation and alienation in urban landscapes
- The haunting presence of unresolved disappearances
- The intersection of personal and collective history
Who should read this book?
- Fans of introspective, atmospheric literary fiction
- Readers drawn to themes of memory and loss
- Those interested in post-war French literature
- Admirers of Modiano’s signature enigmatic style