The French Baker’s War
by Michael Whatling
Absence isn’t a hole. It’s a presence living inside you, eating its way out.
Occupied France, 1943. Returning home from the daily hunt for the rationed ingredients necessary to keep his family pâtisserie open, André Albert finds his four-year-old son in the street, his wife gone, and a Jewish escapee cowering behind the display case.
Without Mireille, the foundation of André’s world crumbles. He desperately searches for her, but finds more trouble than answers. Lives are further jeopardized when he agrees to hide Émilie, the escapee, and a Nazi officer shows up to investigate Mireille’s disappearance.
André will do anything to bring his wife home, catapulting him, their son, and Émilie on a perilous journey impeded by temptation, past trauma, and stunning revelations.
The French Baker’s War is as relevant today for its themes of duty to strangers and sacrifice for family.
4 out of 5 fairies
I really liked the characters that drove this story, learning more about them, and watching their pasts and futures unfold. I loved that André decided to take a risk by helping Émilie, but I was a little confused by some of their decisions that seemed unnecessarily risky given their situation. The mystery of what happened to Mireille was intriguing, and the danger of a Nazi investigating her disappearance adds to the tension. I thought Whatling did a great job bringing the story to life, and it’s easy to believe the characters were real people, and that if you could travel back in time you’d be able to meet them. A great historical fiction.
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Michael Whatling began his career as a technical writer for engineering firms in Canada and Japan. Leaving to teach at the secondary and university levels, he returned to writing by penning A Vigil for Joe Rose, a collection of young adult short stories, based on his doctoral research, that made the American Library Association’s Rainbow List.
He’s the writer of the award-winning independent film, “The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova.”
The French Baker’s War is Michael’s first novel.