La Baleine et le Berger

Description

One day, as he was walking with his goats through the scrubland he knew like the back of his hand, Ulivieru made a strange discovery: on the beach, in the distance that intimidated him, the outline of a whale stood out. While the young Corsican shepherd is immediately moved by the sight of the beached mammal, he is also taken aback by surprise, he who knows the world of the late 19th century only through the lessons of the schoolteacher who passes through his village every Wednesday. But his discovery does not end there: beneath one of the whale's flanks, he spots the lifeless body of a young sailor. What dark secret could have sealed their fates in this way and bound them together forever?

At the risk of his reputation, braving his uncle's brutality, Ulivieru will attempt to forge his own path, far from the age-old violence of men. This is the story that Olivier Truc tells us with absolute finesse-a tale of characters with harsh words but gentle eyes, of a young man in search of meaning and justice, at that moment in life when everything changes.

About the Author:

Olivier Truc was born in Dax in 1964. A journalist, he has lived in Stockholm since 1994, where he served as a correspondent for Le Monde. A specialist in the Nordic and Baltic countries, he is also a documentary filmmaker (Ukraine, a Crimean Dream, Arte; The Battle of Kiev, Canal+) and a screenwriter. He is the author of The Impostor (Calmann-Lévy), The Nobel Affair (Grasset), and, published by Métailié, The Cartographer of the Northern Indies, The Dark Paths of Karachi, and the series on the reindeer police: The Last Lapp (Quais du Polar Readers' Choice Award and 2013 Critics' Mystery Award), The Wolf Strait, The Red Mountain, The Dogs of Pasvik, and The First Reindeer.