How to Be a French Girl is deceptive. Rose Cleary’s debut novel follows a nameless receptionist, who, on the basis of very little interaction, falls in love with Gustave, a French businessman. This could have led to a familiar tale: from online flirting to relationship-gone-wrong. Instead, after a failed evening together, she pursues Gustave to Paris – a move that’s met with derision and, increasingly, fear. She convinces Gustave’s daughter to pose for a series of artworks, her motivation moving from lust to something more sinister. Her campaign of harassment threatens Gustave’s extended family, and soon her own grip on reality. Like many of its contemporaries, How to Be a French Girl is perceptive on those two modern concerns: dating and identity. Cleary exposes the amount of work it takes to appear carefree, and how abasing it is to fall for someone. Our character Googles “french girl style” over and over again, buying the “crisp white shirt” that the bloggers recommend.…