The Mistress

The last editorial project of the late Dutton editor William Abrahams, Tapon's second novel (after A Parisian from Kansas) proffers a trenchant view of WWII from the vantage point of a French doctor. Emile Bastien's successful method for treating stomach ailments with electroshock brings him patients from both the Reich and the Resistance. His home life is not nearly as healthy as his career, however, with an estranged wife living in the south of France, children whose attitudes toward him seem to waver between resentment and begrudging affection, and a mistress, Simone, who toys constantly with his passions. Emile gets an opportunity to make a strike for the Resistance when a high-ranking Nazi official ends up on his operating table; he takes his chance with a gruesome detour from his normal operating procedure. As Emile hides his crime, he also hides a huge cache of gold from both Nazis and loved ones. Tapon's taut narrative zips along smoothly, though sometimes at the expense of depth. The political implications are sometimes skirted, and Tapon's rushed style can cloud pivotal moments with melodrama--as it does when Simone tries to trade sex for her lover's life after his arrest as a Nazi collaborator. However, Tapon's polished and efficient dialogue is satisfying, and those looking for an entertainment with strong--but not forbidding--doses of moral questioning will not be disappointed. (Jan.)