Description
Book SynopsisFrom the International Booker Prize shortlisted author of The Order of the Day and The War of the Poor comes a searing account of a conflict that dealt a fatal blow to French colonialism.
'Excoriating and profound . . . A remarkable work' - Scotsman
'Absolutely spectacular' - France Info
19 October 1950. The war is not going to plan. In Paris, politicians gather to discuss what to do about Indochina. The conflict is unpopular back home in France: too expensive, and too far away for the public to care. Withdrawal is not an option – a global power cannot surrender to an army of peasants – but victory is impossible without more soldiers and more money. The soldiers can be sourced from the colonies, but the money is out of the question. A solution needs to be found.
In this gripping and shocking novel, Éric Vuillard exposes the tangled web of politicians, bankers and titans of industry who
