Monsieur le Commandant

As I have mentioned previously on this humble blog, I am a huge fan of the publisher Gallic Books. Their books are laced with a wry humour and I have particularly enjoyed The President’s Hat, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, the Pascal Garnier novels and the Hector series. It was with great delight and gratefulness then that I was offered an advance copy of their latest book Monsieur le Commandant by Romain Slocombe.

From the outset it was clear that this would not be similar to Gallic’s usual offerings in regards to tone and subject. Monsieur le Commandant is a bleak and at times horrific account of the Nazi occupation of France and the actions of Paul-Jean Husson, an author turned fascist sympathiser and collaborator.

The book is fantastically written and translated and, despite the grizzlier parts, it is a good read. The horror and sheer inhumanity of occupation is conveyed deftly. One of my favourite novels is Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada which, like Monsieur le Commandant, is not the cheeriest of reads, but which is a gripping account of wartime life. I think it is fair to favourably compare both of these novels as they are both stories which need to be shared so that we can hope the horrors of the past do not return.

I also found Monsieur le Commandant interesting from a cultural and historical point of view. Britain did not have the same wartime experience of occupation and collaboration as France. As such I did find it harder to place myself within the historical context of the novel, however, this is where the quality of the writing shines through, as you are engaged with the basic humanity (or lack of) of the characters as they try and survive both the occupation and their consciences.

So may I recommend Monsieur le Commandant to you. It isn’t the cheeriest of books but it is one which must be read as we forget the tragedies of the past at our peril. You may wish to read The Elegance of the Hedgehog afterwards just to remind you that, although we can be monsters unto each other, there is plenty about this crazy planet of ours which can warm the heart.