Forgotten on Sunday, by Valé Perrin

 This is a luminous and memorable war story with an unusual heroine, which combines two fairly traumatic tales involving problems from the past. The plot was very well-structured and the novel has obviously lost nothing in translation.

Justine works at a nursing home and actually loves it, partly because she lives a miserable dull life with her grandparents. She becomes interested in Helene, a 100-year old who makes her think of light and the beach. Gradually, she learns about Helene’s love for Lucien who taught her to read and how their lives were disrupted by the war. This affects the present in countless ways.

There is also a huge car crash involving her family in the past that Justine decides to investigate. This will raise several ghosts. Justine wants to understand the dark mysteries and why her grandparents are so miserable.

When she falls for Helene’s grandson, however, she learns what love really means…

I will seek out Perrin’s other novel now.

I received this free ebook from Edelweiss. plus in return for an honest review.