And the River Will Kill the White Man
Publisher
:
Fayard
Parution date
:
EAN
:
9782213629667
Number of pages
:
483
Description
By one of France’s most esteemed authors, Mais le fleuve tuera l’homme blanc is an intricately plotted political thriller that depicts the Congo-Brazzaville of today and the Rwandan genocide.
An executive at an oil company, Christophe Parmentier recognizes a retired spy, Blandine de Kergalec, in the plane taking him to Brazzaville. A fan of anything spy related, he decides to follow her on his arrival. De Kergalec is in the Congolese capital for an ultimate and lucrative mission: organizing the assassination of Jean-Pierre Rwabango, a Hutu priest who actively participated in the genocide.
During his one-week stay, Christophe will meet a large cast of characters, including Tessy, a young Congolese woman who was raped 13 times during the 1994 events; Pouchkine, a mulatto and father of Tessy’s younger son, Elena; Pouchkine’s mother, a Russian who has been living and doing business in the Republic of Congo for 20 years; Bernard Lemaire, her business partner and lover; Joshua of the Tutsi secret services; Angèle and Charles, siblings of Jean-Pierre Rwabango; and Tendresse, the gorgeous Tutsi girl who escaped from the genocide. At different levels, all become involved in this act of revenge.
With a narrative interspersing flashbacks and giving a voice to each of his characters, Besson creates a fascinating portrait of a Sub-Saharan Africa where each considers the other as an endless source of legends, mysteries, and occult powers.
Mais le fleuve tuera l’homme blanc takes elements from the spy novel, the psychological thriller, the love story, and the adventure tale, even as it clarifies one of the darkest chapters of African history.
Author
Patrick Besson : Patrick Besson published his first book at 17 and has since published a total of 40 books, including Dara, which was the winner of the Prix de l’Académie Française in 1985, and Les Braban, winner of the Prix Renaudot in 1995. He is also a journalist for leading French newspapers Le Figaro, L’Humanité, and VSD.
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