Description
The French Art of War by Alexis Jenni is a literary historical novel about France’s colonial wars and their lasting effects. Set against the beginning of the Gulf War, it follows an unnamed narrator who is struggling with his life when he meets Victorien Salagnon, a veteran of the wars in Indochina, Vietnam and Algeria.
Salagnon agrees to teach the narrator to paint in exchange for having his life story written down. As he recounts his experiences as a soldier and commander, the narrator is drawn into a history of violence, colonial conflict and the human cost of war. Through Salagnon’s memories, the novel examines how these wars shaped both the men who fought them and the France they returned to.
A good choice for readers who enjoy literary historical fiction, war novels, colonial history and character-driven stories that explore the lasting consequences of conflict.
