Tormented by an illicit passion for Ilse, his German daughter-in-law, Husson has taken a decision that will devastate several lives, including his own. The letter is intended to explain his actions. It is a dramatic, sometimes harrowing, story that begins in the years leading up to the war, when following the accidental drowning of his daughter, Husson's previously gilded life begins to unravel. And through Husson's confession, Romain Slocombe gives the reader a startling picture of a man's journey: from pillar of the French Establishment and World War One hero, to outspoken supporter of Nazi ideology and the Vichy government. AUTHOR: Romain Slocombe is a writer, director, translator, illustrator, cartoonist and photographer. He was born in Paris in 1953. When interviewed recently, Romain explained, 'It was only as an adult that I discovered that my mother had been concealing her Jewish heritage from her new family her whole married life. I found correspondence from my paternal grandparents that proved that many French people at the time were anti-Semitic. This spurred me on to study the period and it's problems in greater depth, and to reflect upon what it might have meant for a French conformist couple to find themselves with a Jewish daughter-in-law.' REVIEWS: 'Probably one of the most significant novels of this year' ? L'Express '[Slocombe's] virtuosity and manner of storytelling reveal true talent ... Go out and buy a copy of Monsieur Le Commandant as soon as you can. Read it; you'll be glad you did.' ? Le Point 'The novel is, in a unique way, a powerful piece of Resistance literature.' ? La Vie
