A Man in the Storm
World War I, seen through the eyes of the women left behind — the forgotten witnesses to a war that changed everything.
January 1917. The war drags on, grinding soldiers into the trenches while those left behind are stretched to their limits. At nineteen, Rosalie is forced to leave her boarding school, uprooted from Paris she is sent to the family château. There she is stifled by her strict mother, Isaure, who is in charge of the estate ever since her husband and son departed for the front.
One stormy night, a man appears at their door, seeking refuge before attempting to flee to Spain. Once a welcome guest—a gifted young painter—he is now a deserter, and Isaure wastes no time in sending him away. But a few hours later, Rosalie, moved by his desperation, defies her mother and hides him in the attic.
What unfolds is an intense and deeply intimate drama, where shifting perspectives reveal the characters’ inner struggles—torn between duty and desire, fear and defiance, obligation and the pull of forbidden emotions.
Can fate be rewritten? Each character, in their own way, resists the roles imposed upon them. Against all odds, they awaken to love, defy expectations, and challenge one another, weaving a story of longing, courage, and self-discovery.
A powerful exploration of human emotion, told in vivid, immersive prose, this is a story about finding the strength to live, in the midst of a great storm…
Reviews
Praise for Gaelle Nohant:
‘Nohant weaves the past with the present, a full-scale tragedy with private drama, the everyday with the unimaginable, all with incredible ease.’ – Le Figaro Littéraire
‘A dazzling novel. Its anecdotal aspects could easily have seemed out of place, but under Nohant’s pen they offer an astute, tasteful contrast. The Bureau for the Clarification of Fates radiates compassion and light. The novel about light triumphing over darkness.’ – RTL Lire
‘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