A review by paulataua
Grey Souls by Philippe Claudel

4.0

The novel is set in a small French village just behind the front lines during the first world war. A young girl is found murdered, and a policeman is called to the scene of the crime. The policeman then begins to narrate the circumstance of another murder that took place years earlier and might be related. One could be forgiven for thinking that this is a work of detective fiction and there’s a sense in which it is, but as the policemen meanders his way towards the solution, we are treated to a meditation on death, to the agony that comes from losing someone close, and to the unpredictable nature of our existences. Life….
… doesn’t give you warnings. It jumbles everything up so you can’t pick and choose, and bloody moments follow moments of grace, just like that. It can make you wonder if man isn’t like one of those pebbles that lie on the road, lying in the same place for entire days until someone kicks it and sends it sailing through the air for no reason. And what can a pebble do?

It is an emotionally powerful story that is beautifully written. It is slow, but I was drawn into it and had no desire for it to go any faster. I read each chapter in French to experience the beauty of the language and then in English to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. I really enjoyed it and will definitely read more of Claudel’s work in the near future.