Suite Française
by Irene Nemirovsky, 2006
Although this translation of Suite Française was published in 2006, the book was orginally written by Nemirovsky in 1941 and 1942, just prior to her deportation to Birkenau and extermination. The book is the first two parts of what was intended to be a five-part novel depicting the behavior of the French people during the time of Nazi occupation.
While I found the book to be interesting, it is somewhat tedious to read. It seems that the authors thoughts and agenda are intruding on the characters she depicts and the story. Nemirovsky is very involved with social caste and the part it plays in influencing behavior. Unfortunately, her focus on this aspect of French life seems to detract somewhat from the quality of the writing.
I would recommend that anyone who reads this book should also read the appendices that are included. The first appendix is a collection of entries from Nemirovsky’s journals. These entries help understand how she went about constructing the novel. The second appendix is a collection of correspondence from before and after her deportation. These entries show the stress of living in occupied France at that time and how quickly one descend from living under the rules of occupation to death under the Nazi regime.
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