An Officer And A Spy by Robert Harris

A tantalizing historical thriller set in France in 1895.  It is about the trial of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, wrongly accused of passing secrets to the Germans. Dreyfus is found guilty and sent to Devil's Island for life.  It is narrated by Colonel Georges Picquart as he takes up his position to run the intelligence unit that identified Dreyfus and his crimes.   I found it interesting as it is not a period of French history I was familiar with.  The first half of the book sets the scene as Picquart slowly gets to grips with life in the intelligence unit and the politics involved.  He discovers that secrets are still being passed to the Germans and then other information comes to light that forces him to believe Dreyfus is innocent.  Now he just needs to convince his superiors, but the honour of the French army is at stake and the ranks close in against him.   For me the first half dragged a bit, but once I got past the halfway point I could not put the book down.  The amount of research that the author must have done is staggering, but at no point did it feel like a history lesson as the story is interwoven with vivid characters whose hopes and fears are believable. 

Us by David Nicholls

I enjoyed One Day by the same author, so I was looking forward to reading Us, which was long listed for The Man Booker Prize.  After two decades of marriage Douglas and Connie Petersen are about to become empty nesters.  Douglas is looking forward to this new chapter in their lives, but then Connie announces she’s thinking of leaving him.  His son, Albie, feels like a stranger.  In one last attempt to save his marriage and keep his family intact Douglas plans a once in a lifetime family holiday touring the cultural delights of Europe.  Douglas is a biochemist, Connie, is an artist.  No one is sure what Albie wants to be, but Connie is keen to encourage him in his artistic endeavours.  In the beginning I wasn’t convinced by the characters.  I felt that Albie and Connie were both self-centred and I wanted to shake Douglas.  As the story unfolded and I learnt more about the couple’s history, the highs and lows of their relationship, I started to believe in the characters and I was hooked.  It was interesting seeing the story through the eyes of Douglas.  I found the book laugh out loud funny at times and at others touchingly sad.  I thought it was pitched perfectly.