KEY POINTS:
This is an assured debut novel for actor/screenwriter Michael Wallner who draws a gritty picture of occupied Paris through the eyes of German soldier, Michel Roth. Don't be fooled by the romantic cover, the novel, translated from the original German, has its share of brutality. Wallner doesn't explain Roth too deeply at first - he is portrayed as a romantic soul, a would-be Frenchman who tries to live in both worlds.
Roth's journey from curious to desperate shows plenty of pace and surprise. The relationships Roth forms with colleagues are mainly of necessity and short-lived. Roth's passion for Chantal drives him. Wallner keeps readers guessing about this woman and she is the character we know least about. He describes her subtly, more by the dress she is wearing, the look in her eyes, than anything. An interesting view of wartime Europe from a German vantage.
*John Murray, $36.99
- Detours, HoS
