Jean Perdu

Jean Perdu was the novel’s protagonist. Jean had lived in Paris all his life. He owned a book barge, which he called the Literary Apothecary. As the owner of this book shop, he prescribed books that would cure the many ailments of the soul. He had an innate ability for reading people. He could tell what a person was struggling with upon meeting him or her. He always knew the very piece of literature that would heal a person. The only person Jean could not heal was himself.

At the start of the novel, Jean was lost and very much alone. Having been left by his one true love, Manon, he had spent the past 21 years of his life in solitude, completely broken by his lost love. Although he was friendly with his neighbors, he always kept them at a distance. He avoided feeling any positive...