Taxi to Paris by Ruth Gogoll

This book is rather different to any other book I’ve read. There are two main characters among other minor characters. But we never get to know the names of the main characters.

One woman is a project manager for a large company. The other woman is a high class prostitute who caters solely for women.

The two women meet quite by accident and after a misunderstanding and hot sex, the prostitute decides that she won’t charge the project manager for the sex they had.

As the story progresses we see the struggle both women have in coming to terms with falling in love.

The project manager can’t bear to think of the prostitute working. She has always had a jealous streak in her. The prostitute is hiding secrets from her past and has other issues also. She won’t allow herself to fall in love.

The two women go back and forth between being together and taking time out apart due to the issues between them.

When the prostitute is badly assaulted, she turns to the project manager for help. The project manager drives them to Paris to an apartment the prostitute owns there. This appears to be the turning point in their getting to know one another properly. It is a safe place for both of them. But both women are still pulling away from love. Will the project manager ever be able to accept the prostitute as she is and her job? Will the prostitute put the past behind her and allow herself to fall in love? Will she reveal her secrets to the project manager?

I found this book rather strange to begin with. It is told entirely from the point of view of the project manager. The fact that the two main characters are nameless, bothered me at first. I like to know all there is to know about the characters I’m reading about. But as I read on, it no longer seemed important.

The story of the prostitute’s earlier life is harrowing. But it explained why she became the person she was.

There are other characters interspersed throughout the story. They do play a part, but the story is mainly centered on the two main characters and their inability to fall completely in love with one another. There is hot sex throughout this book. But the story goes far beyond just sex.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Although I have to admit, that I found writing why I liked this story quite difficult to put into words. Quite simply, I found the book intriguing. I had to know the reasons why the two women were so attracted to one another yet couldn’t let go and be together. I also had to know if they did eventually get together.

This book has been translated from German. Had I not known beforehand, I would never have known from reading it. It is very well written and well translated. I look forward to more books from Ruth Gogoll in the very near future.