The novel plays out in three historic frames: 1919 Bavaria, Germany; Second World War France; France in 1960. The main character, Yann, is a French journalist, professor, and Camus scholar who is plagued by a lifetime of regrets. He finds hope in an unforeseen friendship with Klaus, the only son of Karl, a German soldier who saved Yann’s life in 1919. Klaus is a depressed young man burdened by history and challenged by the stories that he encourages Yann to revisit and to share. In Southern France during World War II Yann again meets Karl and also Madeleine, a French engineer and Resistance fighter who attempts to recruit Yann to join the Resistance. Yann’s hesitation eventually leads to Madeleine’s death, and this will haunt Yann ever after. Karl’s first novel, Clipperton, was published in 2006 by the now-defunct Harbor House Books of Augusta, Georgia. Over the years, Karl’s short stories have been published by local and regional journals such as The Loyalhanna Review. Karl was born in Munich and immigrated to the United States in 1970. This novel was influenced by his upbringing after World War II and the disastrous role his native country played in the 20th century. Karl has been working all his life as a general pediatrician.
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