This is a 1959 novel by the French writer Julien Gracq. In this novel we find ourselves on the defensive lines between the German and French borders (or at least within the combat paths of the German army) in 1939 awaiting the imminent attack. We follow Lieutenant Grange as he commands or at least waits to command his small force guarding a French pillbox and observation post. While waiting for whatever is to come he begins an affair with a local woman named Mona. As […]