A Hero Of France, Alan Furst, author; Daniel Gerroll, narrator
This is a book about the French Resistance during the early years of WWII. The story moves along at a good pace, drawing the reader/listener in deeper and deeper as the time goes by and the movement grows. In the earliest days, it was a small group of people from all walks of life, of all different ages and backgrounds that found each other and joined in the effort to defy the Germans by rescuing English pilots caught behind enemy lines in France, which had been occupied by Hitler. These were ordinary citizens, who wanted to do their part; they were not soldiers. The story takes the reader along with them as they place themselves in harm’s way for France. Returning those downed pilots to safety meant that they could return to fight another day. There was a shortage of trained pilots, and the French were counting on the English to keep fighting the Germans, hoping they would eventually be defeated.
There were those who wanted to resist and those who wanted to collaborate, and the author paints a pretty clear picture of each group. On the one hand, you have a group of brave patriots willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause, and on the other, you have self serving individuals who are happy to sacrifice others to serve only themselves. The collaborators were portrayed as bitter people, miscreants, and unhappy, mean misfits. They were also the women who were forced to use their bodies to support themselves and their families, and sometimes, they were those who seemed to have no other choice but to serve the needs of the Germans. All of the characters seemed to fit neatly into the stereotypical picture that is so often drawn depicting those who experienced the war directly.
This novel begins in March of 1941. Over the next few months, it follows a resistance group led by a man whose code name was Mathieu. Along with his bravery and concern for the safety of others, the author seemed to paint him as someone somewhat preoccupied by his sex drive. Not quite 40 years old, he was a dedicated Frenchman who recruited resisters and organized the effort to rescue the downed pilots before they were captured by the Germans. Safe houses, forged documents, volunteers, and cash were necessary for that effort. The recruits were brave even though scared. They were always aware of the fact that they might be betrayed, that they might be captured and questioned by the feared Gestapo. At first the fledgling organization pretty much operated on a wing and a prayer. Eventually, however, they joined forces with the British. In exchange, the Brits would provide men, help and additional resources and money. The English also escalated the resistance by attempting to stop the movement of supplies by the Germans with more violent methods.
Although the book was interesting, I found the intrusion of what seemed like gratuitous scenes of a sexual nature to be distracting. I was far more interested in learning about the resistance than I was in Mathieu’s various sexual fantasies, in and out of the bedroom. Perhaps this was one of the ways the author chose to draw the contrast between those living ordinary lives, going about almost as if there was no war, except for the shortages, soldiers and restrictions, which not everyone experienced equally, and those with secret lives, who were fighting back but still had to present an ordinary image to the public. Perhaps it was to show that they were still very much human and very much aware that the next day might be their last, that the next day their clandestine life might be discovered, that the next day they might be in the hands of the Germans.
Parts of the story stretched credibility, but for the most part, it was entertaining even if a bit thin in scope. The narrator did an admirable job of portraying each character distinctly.