Best-selling French author Karine Tuil seems to favour novels which focus on current controversial issues as they affect the lives of characters with high-flying professional careers but dysfunctional private lives.

In this case, Alma is a judge who has to decide whether French nationals of Arab origin who wish to return from the Middle East, where they have been in contact with organisations like Islamic State, pose a security risk, or may even face prosecution if there is sufficient evidence. The stress of her job is compounded by the fact that she has fallen out of love with her husband Ezra, and is embroiled in an unwise affair with a charismatic but unpredictable judge, Emmanuel.

Alma is particularly preoccupied with the case of a young detainee called Kacem. Is it too risky to release him into the community, so that, for the sake of the public, he must serve a prison term which is likely to radicalise him into a full-blown terrorist? An added complication is that Emmanuel is the judge representing Kacem, creating a “conflict of interest” for Alma.

This could form the basis for a compelling novel which works on several levels – gripping and also thought-provoking. Yet I was to be disappointed. Was the novel written too quickly? The various plot strands are not well-developed , nor skilfully interwoven. While legal aspects are often dealt with in detail if at somewhat tedious length, others concerning the relations between the characters are too brief, or disjointed and superficial. At times, the book resembles notes for a novel, with simply too much explanation and “telling” as opposed to “showing” readers, to enable them to draw their own conclusions. Too much seems implausible or contrived. Although it is not important for me to like a character, Alma appears too emotional and self-absorbed to be an effective judge, or to arouse much sympathy. The aftermath of “the decision” is potentially the most interesting and moving part of the novel, but marred by being too rushed, with a somewhat trite conclusion.

At least I learned a few idioms and fresh vocabulary in what is a fairly easy read in French. However, I would recommend “Les Choses Humaines” instead, in which the plot and characterisation are handled better.