Alain Rolland Six Years of Absence

War changes a man in ways he never imagined. Summer 1939, France Alexandre lives peacefully with his wife and newborn child in Brittany. Suddenly, war is declared. He is enlisted on the Eastern Front line with his engineer regiment. His gripping odyssey takes him to Flanders, Belgium, and Dunkirk where he misses the last boat for England. Taken prisoner, he walks to Holland where he is then transported to two prison camps in Pomerania. From the stalags to the village of Schivelbein, where he works in a kommando for five interminable years of confinement, Alexandre goes through many tragic, but sometimes also comical, adventures where he encounters a plethora of endearing characters. Eventually, the Red Army liberates Alexandre, who then experiences new dramatic adventures before his return, after six years of absence, to his barely-known little boy and his wife who are impatiently waiting for him. Inspired by true events, Alexandre's story is enthralling, written with a compelling honesty to the brutality he experienced. The narrative is well-paced, heart-breaking twists and turns combine a deep emotional effect with a compulsion that drags the reader to the edge of their seat beyond the final dramatic moments. If you enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See , The Nightingale , and Beneath a Scarlet Sky , you will love Six Years of Absence .