Following reading Monsieur Linh and his
child it was an immediate trip out to buy another Claudel.
This one is written in the same spare
way and is an especially thin paperback.
Similarly again it packs a punch at the
end.
Based in France during the first world
war it is set in a village close to the front. Within hearing
distance of the fighting but with a population mainly exempt from
call up through their occupations the village is privileged. It's
also the first port of call for injured soldiers on their way back to
hospitals.
After a young girl is killed the
police, prosecutors and village people are keen to find the culprit
quickly. Possibly the wrong culprit? The interrogation is brutal but
there is no gratuitous violence in the book. Several story lines
thread through including that of the prosecutor and the policeman adding their own harsh reality.
Another beautifully written book from
Claudel leaving me looking forward to the next.
Publisher – Phoenix
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