The Bureau of Unknown Fates
Le bureau d'éclaircissement des destins
Winner of Grand Prix RTL / Lire 2023
Sometimes when you are looking for the dead, you find the living.
In 1990, Irène joins the The International Tracing Service. Meticulous and conscientious, she quickly becomes obsessed with her work – at the cost of her personal life. Years later, she is entrusted with returning thousands of confiscated objects, recovered from the liberated camps.
Irène pieces together the identity of each object’s rightful owner, in order to give the descendants of the victims something by which to remember their lost relatives. A faded cloth doll, a medallion, an embroidered handkerchief… every object contains its secrets. Over the course of her investigations, Irène reconstructs what happened to the deceased from the traces they left behind, and in so doing she glimpses humanity – at its worst, but also, its best.
Weaving together the trajectories of these individual lives with the collective memory of Europe, this devastatingly beautiful novel is suffused with wisdom and compassion.
Reviews
‘Fascinating on a historical level; heart-breaking on a human one.’ – Libération
‘A novel about legacy and memory. A multi-layered and powerful story, that is both poignant and moving.’ – Augustin Trapenard, La Grande Librairie
‘A powerful, sweeping tale. Gaëlle Nohant reveals the full scope of her talent.’ – France Bleu
‘Steeped in research, Gaëlle Nohant builds a deeply original work of fiction. She leads her reader into the heart of the horror of World War 2, guiding them through the mists of the shadowy past. And yet, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel –the ending is full of humanity and hope.’ – L’Obs
‘Poignant. Blending rigorous research with fiction, Gaëlle Nohant explores the history and purpose of the famous Arolsen Archives.’ – Le Point