The moment before drowning : a novel

"Brydon's provocative and unsettling first novel...is a remarkably assured debut by a gifted new writer." — Publishers Weekly , STARRED reivew "An exploration of political oppression wrapped in a carefully constructed mystery. In Brydon's auspicious debut...the characters are alive and the mystery is mostly satisfying. An erudite and entertaining addition to the shelf." — Kirkus Reviews "From the Battle of Algiers, to the austere abutments of the Brittany coast,The Moment Before Drowningis a carefully weighted novel that strips the glamour from what people can do without ever simplifying the reasonswhy they do it. An engrossing and expansive tale." — Luke McCallin, author of The Ashes of Berlin "This book haunted me—the protagonist's moral conflict is so poignant, the writing is luminescent, and the postwar French and Algerian landscapes are immaculately drawn. Take a bit of Albert Camus, mix in some Nobel... Number of Words in Auth: 2 Formats : EPUB Number of Formats : 1 Has Cover : Yes Single Author : James Brydon Original Source : New_Files_Trainpack_18_49 Sorted Author by LN, FN: Brydon, James Title Length : 026 Title Parm D : The Moment Before Drowning Title Parm F : The Moment Before Drowning Title Parm G : The Moment Before Drowning Title Parm A : The Moment Before Drowning Title Parm B : ( Record ID : 1466 Uncomma Author : James Brydon Num of Aut : 1 “A stunning and intelligent debut novel; powerful, intense and raw . . . an insightful psychological portrait of a man on the edge.” —NB Magazine December 1959: A furious anticolonial war rages in Algeria. Captain Jacques le Garrec, a former detective and French Resistance hero, returns to France in disgrace. Traumatized after two years of working in the army intelligence services, he’s now accused of a brutal crime. As le Garrec awaits trial in the tiny Breton town where he grew up, he is asked to look into a disturbing and unsolved murder committed the previous winter. A local teenage girl was killed and her bizarrely mutilated body was left displayed on the heathland in a way that no one could understand. Le Garrec’s investigations draw him into the dark past of the town, still haunted by memories of the German occupation. As he tries to reconstruct the events of the murder, the violence of this crime and his recollections of Algeria intertwine, threatening to submerge him. “[A] provocative and unsettling first novel . . . a remarkably assured debut by a gifted new writer.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Take a bit of Albert Camus, mix in some Nobel Prize-winning Patrick Modiano, add a dollop of French noir, and voilà, you have James Brydon’s The Moment Before Drowning.” —Denise Hamilton, bestselling author of Damage Control “An exploration of political oppression wrapped in a carefully constructed mystery. In Brydon’s auspicious debut . . . the characters are alive and the mystery is mostly satisfying. An erudite and entertaining addition to the shelf.” —Kirkus Reviews In 1959, a French Resistance hero investigates a murder in a small Breton town, while awaiting his own trial. December 1959: a furious anticolonial war rages in Algeria. Captain Jacques le Garrec, a former detective and French Resistance hero, returns to France in disgrace, traumatized after two years of working in the army intelligence services, and accused of a brutal crime. As le Garrec awaits trial in the tiny Breton town where he grew up, he is asked to look into a disturbing and unsolved murder committed the previous winter. A local teenage girl was killed and her bizarrely mutilated body was left on display on the heathland in a way that no one could understand. Le Garrecs investigations draw him into the dark past of the town, still haunted by memories of the German Occupation. As he tries to reconstruct the events of the girls murder, the violence and guilt intertwine with his own recollections of Algeria and threaten to submerge him. "December 1959: A furious anticolonial war rages in Algeria. Captain Jacques le Garrec, a former detective and French Resistance hero, returns to France in disgrace. Traumatized after two years of working in the army intelligence services, he's now accused of a brutal crime. As le Garrec awaits trial in the tiny Breton town where he grew up, he is asked to look into a disturbing and unsolved murder committed the previous winter. A local teenage girl was killed and her bizarrely mutilated body was left displayed on the heathland in a way that no one could understand. His investigations draw him into the dark past of the town, still haunted by memories of the German occupation. As he tries to reconstruct the events of the murder, the violence of this crime and his recollections of Algeria intertwine, threatening to submerge him."-- Provided by publisher