Daniel Anselme's On Leave has just a single paragraph describing the atrocities committed during France's war with Algeria, but the damage of that combat, the casualties and emotional scars, are everywhere apparent. The novel--written before Algerian independence, published in 1957 in France and now available in English for the first time--is a brave testament to a generation of French "under thirty-twos" forced to die in a war they didn't want to fight. Anselme's technique is brilliant; he builds his entire case off the battlefield, watching three conscripted 20-somethings try to enjoy a too-brief reprieve, from Christmas to New Year, a 10-day break from the carnage.
These utterly different, damaged young men try to reconnect with a world that has already marginalized them. Anselme expertly crafts their interactions with a wealthy childhood friend, a former pupil, an evangelizing neighborhood Marxist trying to enlist them into collecting signatures for peace and an ex-serviceman, not to mention frustrated family members struggling to show their love but not understanding.
This immaculate short novel tells it all in a few scenes and heartbreaking simplicity. It doesn't try to persuade you of anything, just lets you experience the charm and youth and private longings of three young men briefly escaping from atrocities they can hardly bear to witness, much less perpetrate. The reader is left with an intimate glimpse into the wrecked lives of three human beings who no longer connect with anyone but each other. --Nick DiMartino, Nick's Picks, University Book Store, Seattle, Wash.