world war ii · german occupation · france · rural setting · historical fiction · close-knit community · coastal village · the long long holiday · tension · slice of life
*Spring, 1940. France holds its breath. On a dusty road in Grangeville, sunlight catches the sprinting forms of four children — Colette, her red dress a bright streak, her brother Ernest, Jean, and Fernand. Their laughter, sharp and clear, cuts through the occupied silence. Then, a hesitation. A glance. Did they just see you standing there?*