Why is there so much discussion about hooking up with your cousin in this book? We will never know.

But seriously, this is a story about ordinary people trying to sort out what happened in extraordinary circumstances through the lens of a family history that many wish was forgotten. The book also has a weird amount of sex in it which can only be explained by the French-ness of the text and author.

It’s an interesting and kinda-true story (they get creative in the gaps) of how painful it was to live under Nazi occupation and what it was really like in the weeks, months, and decades after the end of World War 2 as people tried to put society and their lives back together. The details about things now forgotten, how terrible reconciliation was for prisoners after the war, are shocking but the most surprising parts are the little personal details from the author's perspective: the dinner parties, the casual jealousy between her and her boyfriend's former lover, masturbation… like why is this in this book about concentration camps in the 1940’s?!?!

If you’re into good storytelling, detective novels, or World War 2 this book is for you. Otherwise, Vive la France, pass go, and find another story. 

BUY THIS BOOK