(4/12/2024)
4.5. The Cassars lived in Algeria from 1940 to 2010. They thought of themselves as 100 belonging there and 100 French citizens. Yet when Algeria became independent, they had to leave -not wanted in Algeria or France.
This is a story about a family, without roots, moving from country to country. Gaston and Lucienne, the parents, who have the perfect marriage, and their children, Francoise and Denise, who can never achieve this perfection. Based on the lives of the author's own family, the novel brings alive the thoughts, emotions, and desires of these individuals. I felt I really knew these people and cared about their lives.
I knew nothing about Algeria and would have liked to know more about their lives there.