The last days of our fathers
The last days of our fathers -or Les Derniers Jours de nos pères, by its original French title, is the first novel by Swiss author Joël Dicker. This contemporary historical work was published for the first time in January 2012, by the publisher L'Age d'Homme. Subsequently, the book was edited and marketed in Spanish by Alfaguara in 2014, with a translation by Juan Carlos Durán Romero.
The novel competed for and won the prestigious Prix des Ecrivains Genevois award, given in the French-speaking part of Switzerland every four years. After its official publication it became a bestseller in its country.. For its part, the Spanish-speaking market received it with mixed reviews, although it did not go unnoticed, giving rise to the reading of other works by Dicker.
Synopsis of The last days of our fathers
One of the least known episodes of World War II
Paul Emile, better known as Palo, He is a young man recruited by S (SOE). This is a British organization designed to carry out reconnaissance, sabotage and espionage in Nazi-occupied Europe, while secretly helping members of the resistance. Palo wants to save the country from him, but, at the same time, he wants to take care of his father, a widower who lives alone in Paris.
Although the SOE prohibits its members from any contact with their family and friends outside the cell, Palo breaks the rules and leads a double life as a spy and as a banker. However, a German agent discovers him and endangers his mission, his family and his colleagues Gordo, Key, Stanislas, Laura, Claude and others. Is it possible for the protagonist and his companions to survive in an environment of such brutality?
Subjects of The last days of our fathers
Some critics They have commented that the novel is between the police and spy genres, but this, not even enough to define it, nor is it correct. The last days of our fathers It is a book that tells a love story from different angles: family, romantic, friendship and devotion to the country in times of war.
While Paul Émile and his allies are a group trained in espionage and counterespionage, and the story revolves around their training and activities within the SOE, The center of the novel is the relationships between all the characters. Added to this is the way in which they bond to overcome obstacles.
One of the most notable attractions of The last days of our fathers It has to do with the construction of the characters. Joël Dicker delves into the psyche of international spies and he takes the emotionality of his work to maximum power, achieving a genuine depth capable of moving the reader because, at the end of the day, what was happening with the spies was an open mystery.
Joël Dicker's narrative style
The last days of our fathers It is far removed from the style and recurring themes in Joël Dicker's work. In particular, It is a linear book, which is far from titles like The Alaskan Sanders case and later novels. At the same time, the narrative is very wordy, and displays extensive historical documentation and references from World War II. The novel also delves into the capacity that human beings have to love or hate.
Joel Dicker explores the nuances of the human race during times of contingencies. Thus, it reveals French people who were allies of the Nazis, and good-hearted Germans who helped the protagonists in their fight for freedom, leaving a clear message of how evil and goodness are not intrinsic to one side or the other. Furthermore, none of the characters are superfluous. All of them have a fundamental role within the context of the novel.
Is it possible that love in times of war is worth it?
Love is one of the topics best addressed in Joël Dicker's novel. This It is expressed by all the main characters and in all possible ways. However, when the breaking point arrives and the protagonists are plunged into misery, it is worth asking, is it worth loving during war? The answer, although painful, is a resounding “yes.”
Love is the engine that moves the cast, it is the reason that makes them move forward or backward. At the same time, the brotherhood and camaraderie among the members of the resistance are evident and credible, but there are also betrayals and conspiracies on the part of certain allies, so trust between the protagonists is going to be one of their greatest weapons.
About the author, Joël Dicker
Joel Dicker was born in 1985, in Geneva, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Although he did not have much passion for academics, he began writing from a very early age. At the age of 10 he had already published The Gazette des Animaux —The animal magazine—. The author worked on it for seven years, and thanks to his work he received the Prix Cunéo award for the Protection of Nature. In addition, Dicker was named “Switzerland's youngest editor-in-chief” by the Tribune de Genève.
When he was 19 years old, the author entered a literary contest with a story called El Tigre. Some time later, one of the judges confessed to him that he had not been the winner because the jury thought that it was a story that was too well prepared to belong to such a young writer, so they considered it plagiarism. Even so, the text won the International Prize for Young Francophone Authors, and was published in a collection of stories.
Other books by Joël Dicker
- La vérité sur l'affaire Harry Quebert — The truth about the Harry Quebert case (2012);
- Le livre des Baltimore — The Baltimore Book (2015);
- La disparition de Stéphanie Mailer — The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer (2018);
- Room 622 — The enigma of room 622 (2020);
- The Alaska Sanders case (2022).