The Gendarme

An extraordinarily haunting novel of identity and remembrance, love and forgiveness. Emet Conn is an old man on the verge of senility, a feisty World War 1 veteran who suffered amnesia during the war. Now at the end of his life, he suddenly finds himself beset by vivid dreams of a march across a foreign land, of appalling acts of cruelty, and the anguish of a lost love. But these are no dreams and he is no prisoner. As the memories come flooding back and his grasp on the past and present begins to break down, he sets out on one final journey to find the love of his life and beg her forgiveness. With a multi-layered plot and deft characterisation, Mustian explores how love can transcend nationalities and politics, how racism creates divisions where none truly exist, and how the human spirit fights to survive even in the face of hopelessness.