One Day in France

On April 6, 1944 the Germans rolled into the sleepy village of Bugeat, France. Increasingly frustrated by losses on the eastern front and increased attacks from the French resistance-- as if the Nazis ever needed a reason-- they rounded up civilians they deemed the enemy: resistance members and Jews. The four partisan men were shot on the side of the road, and the Jewish families deported. One Jewish man with ties to the resistance was tortured and shot when he refused to name names. The author pieces together the events of the bloody day using eyewitness accounts and archive material.

Once sections like the translator notes are removed, the actual meat of this book is a mere 135 pages. Even with the best intentions, the author only discovers scant evidence for what happened that day, and is forced to fill in the blanks. The writing suffers from want of organization and flow.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

	Everyone knows that no one event is remembered the same way by everyone involved.  Memory becomes even harder to pin down when those involved in the event have reason not to remember or lose that memory though illness or death.  
	In many ways, this hard to search for truth is what Borzeix is trying to straighten out in this book.  He wants to discover the truth behind the death of four people, perhaps connected to the Resistance, as well as more about the fifth man that not everyone talks about.  The fifth man was a Jewish man whose family survived the Holocaust.  It is a discussion and a letter about a memorial and tombstone that, in part, sets Borzeix upon his quest.  He also seems possessed by a desire to discover and come to terms with Occupied France’s treatment of its Jewish population.
	The investigation aspect of the book is engrossing, if a little disorganized.  At times, the direction of the book is a little choppy to follow.  That said, the most important parts of the book conceal the sections about memory, in particular national memory and a struggle to come to terms with a nation’s past.  Considering that is something many nations are dealing with, it brings the work a step above most.

I enjoyed this book.

Great read. You will be up all night.!

A memorable book

Jean-Marie Borzeix’s book looks at the events which took place in a small village in France in World War 2. 

We follow the author through his diligent research across Europe as he finds and follows the trail of murder. 

However this is not a straight history as Jean-Marie Borzeix also investigates memory - why we remember, what we remember and what we forget.

A memorable book that is excellently translated, written in rich prose and lovely language.