Content Warning: This section discusses sexual assault of a minor and death of a family member.

Stella, a young copy editor living in New York City, is the protagonist of The Paris Novel. When her estranged mother suddenly dies, leaving her a plane ticket to Paris and a sum of money, Stella hesitantly leaves her comfortable, routine life and travels to Paris. Through a series of chance encounters and new experiences with food, art, exploration, and community, Stella sheds her rigid routines and becomes more open-minded and curious, leading to personal transformation.

Reichl lays the groundwork for Stella’s character arc by establishing her life in New York as extremely cautious, timid, and routine oriented, owing to a series of traumatic childhood experiences, including emotional neglect from her mother and prolonged sexual abuse from one of her mother’s romantic partners. Reichl frames Stella’s careful and guarded outlook on the world as The Lasting Impact of Childhood Trauma, suggesting that Stella creates a sense of safety through rigid routines and schedules. She positions her protagonist’s attachment to these routines and to remaining in her comfort zone as the starting point for her growth over the course of the novel.