I have just finished reading “La grande patience II: celui
qui voulait voir la mer” by Bernard Clavel. It is the first book in French
which has kept me completely absorbed from beginning to end. It is set in the
early days of World War 2 and it is written from the point of view of “la mère
Dubois”. Her husband is a retired baker, both are getting old and neither has
very good health. They are waiting for the return of their son Julien, who has
just finished his baker’s apprenticeship. The war is very distant and the story
concerns itself a great deal with the simple details of the parent’s lives.
However, with the arrival of May 1940, the news becomes more frightening and
the roads become crowded with refugees fleeing the advance of the German army.
Finally, they persuade their son to join the exodus as he is nearing the age
for military service and they fear what the Germans might do to young men. The
rest of the story is then concerned with events whilst they await his return.
There is very little actual contact between the parents and
the Germans who temporarily hold the town, prior to their withdrawal as the
town is to be in the “free” zone of France. No fighting takes place in the
town, merely some preparations in case of air raids. From an initial picture of
the minutiae of life of a retired couple in a quiet town, the tension in the
story builds from the news of the war, fears of air raids, contact with
refugees passing through the town and doubts as to whether or not the son
should join the evacuation. After Julien leaves, the story is concerned with
the immediate struggle for survival during a brief period of occupation by the German
army and then their fears for the safety of Julien until he finally returns –
four days later than necessary because Julien decided to visit the nearby coast
as he has never seen the sea!
For me, the fascination of the book lies in the detailed
picture that it draws of civilian life during this period, the fears and hopes
of ordinary people, caught up in events beyond their control. It has whetted my
appetite for reading more by this author!
