The Great Swindle by Pierre Lemaitre

The cover blurb describes this as a masterly epic of post-war France.’ It’s quite a compelling read, though perhaps not masterly. The story begins in the WWI trenches, with descriptions of the horrors that remind me of Pat Barker’s novels about that war. Emerging from this horror are three characters, the dastardly bastardly Henri, officer but not gentleman; the effete, cynical Edouard; and the lowly bumbling mouse of a man, Albert. Albert and Edouard are more or less bonded for life because of the events that happen in the trenches and they work together to create the great swindle of the title. The book is as much a commentary on the corruption of the wealthy, on greed, and on the devastating impact of war as is it about the swindle. It’s shocking, dark of mood but an accomplished page turner.