Twilight

Author of classic novels such as Grey Souls and Brodeck's Report, Philippe Claudel returns with a beautiful allegorical novel that invites us to reflect on some of our contemporary excesses and immerses us in the darkest areas of the human soul.

On the borders of the Empire lies a stark, mineral-rich province where the cold, the frost, and the slow rhythm of the long winters seem to lull the inhabitants of a small village to sleep. But this peaceful state is abruptly shattered when the parish priest is discovered one morning with his head crushed by a stone.

What is the motive for the crime? Who could harbor such resentment in a place where religious communities have always lived in harmony? The case is entrusted to Nurio, a policeman who too often lets his passions get the better of him, and who, accompanied by his faithful assistant Baraj, a distinguished giant with the soul of a poet, must unmask the culprit, who may be hiding among the Muslim population. But does the Empire have any interest in unmasking the true murderer?

With dreamlike and expressive language that sparkles with every word, and a vibrant portrayal of characters and settings, Philippe Claudel offers us a chilling yet captivating tale about the anxieties of the present and future. With the veneer of a police investigation and the irresistible pull of a magnet, Twilight holds us spellbound from beginning to end.

Translated from the French by Nick Caistor