The Jasmine Man

Norman P. Goldman is a retired Civil Law Notaire (Notary) who also
specializes in Montreal history and culture.

In Paris, Amy, a married Canadian woman, becomes romantically involved
with a young Tunisian, Habib. Her friend Aisling is appalled that
she’s having an affair, and particularly with an Arab. “Aren’t
Arabs supposed to be hard on women?” she exclaims. To which Amy
replies, “I don’t know about all Arabs. This one isn’t.”
Negative relations between Amy and her husband Gilles reach a climax as
Amy, Gilles, and their son Jonathan travel across France and Italy.
Eventually, they reach their destination in Tunisia, which happens to be
Habib’s hometown. After Gilles returns to Paris, leaving Amy and
Jonathan behind, Habib mysteriously shows up.

Tostevin does not permit her fast-paced story to disintegrate into a
soap opera. Insights into marriage, art, culture, colonialism, and
foreign travel are an integral part of the development of her plot and
characters. And the reader is constantly challenged to examine the
complexity of human nature and the rationalizations we use to justify
immoral behavior.