Today we are still alive, by Emmanuelle Pirotte

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The title of this novel has its crumb. Knowing that a story of survival in the middle of World War II, this title tells us about the peremptory nature of life in these circumstances, of improvisation to survive, of decisions with an environment to last decisions ..., in short, it suggests so much that it is already a novel in itself.

And you start reading. You are in Belgium, December 1944, the Battle of the Ardennes. Nazi soldiers infiltrated the US army are entrusted with the care of Renée, a Jewish girl, precisely during the flight of the German army. The wolves in the custody of the sheep.

Renée, the girl was lucky that she was not very clear about the significance of what awaited her. He never stopped looking at the soldiers who planned to execute her. Surely she could not conceive what it would mean to cease to exist, to be executed, to perish.

Renée's eyes on the officer pointing her had an unexpected effect. His shot ended up targeting his partner. Beyond the hatred of Jews, burned into the imagination of the German people, and consciously inserted into the brain of the Nazi soldiers, Mathias discovered in the girl's eyes what Life meant. Life as hope in the innocence of a girl to make a better world.

The truth is that we do not know what went through Mathías's head to change the fate of the bullet, but something like this must have happened to tear down that wall, aware of his powerful ideology. And from then on everything changes. We accompany the unusual couple through a chaotic reality of rubble and pillage, facing all kinds of circumstances to try to survive.

The future of Mathías and Renée glides between the pages at a cinematographic, natural and simple rhythm, with a clear and emotional language. An authentic adventure of emotions that will make you believe in humanity again since war and tragedy.

You can buy the book Today we are still alive, Emmanuelle Pirotte's surprising debut feature, here:

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