Alex Capus's Léon & Louise begins as the World War I nears its end in the summer of 1918, when Léon LeGall, a 17-year-old in Cherbourg, sees Louise Janvier ride by on her bicycle. He contrives to meet her and they fall in love. While out walking, they are both injured by a German artillery attack and separated in the chaos that follows. Each believes the other has been killed.
Ten years later: on the Paris Metro, Léon, now married, catches sight of a girl who looks like Louise, whom he has never forgotten. At the insistence of his wife, Yvonne, he seeks out Louise. They are still in love, but Louise refuses to break up Léon's marriage and makes him promise not to search for her again.
During the German occupation of Paris, Léon works at the headquarters of the CID. His black-market income from reselling coffee brought by a high-ranking German official keeps food on the table. Meanwhile, Louise is sent to West Africa by the Banque of France, along with the Banque's gold reserves. She writes wonderful letters to Léon, never knowing if they will be delivered.
In a remarkable story spanning more than 40 years, Capus describes an enduring love affair. When Louise returns to Paris, she first reports to work and then to Yvonne. What happens after that is a tribute to all three people, the triumph of love and a masterfully told story that, at its end, is only beginning. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.