Review - Tomorrow They Won't Dare To Murder Us

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I received an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley for an honest review.

This rather short book is a novelization of the death--and, by extension, the life--of Fernand Iveton, an Algerian-born communist of French and Spanish ancestry, and the only pied-noir (a person of European descent born in Algeria while it was under French rule) to be executed by the French government for his involvement in the FLN during Algeria's war for independence.

I can't speak to how historically accurate this telling is, because I'm no expert on the topic. It is based on fact. It's a beautifully written and emotionally stirring little book. Despite its brevity, it does a wonderful job characterizing not only Fernand, but the other people around him as well. The narrative moves back and forth through time, but it becomes clear pretty quickly which parts are taking place in the "present" (1956/57), and which are told in flashback.

It isn't exactly a story where anything is or should be a surprise. The description of the book calls it suspenseful, but Fernand Iveton was a real person who was really executed. While the prose is often beautiful, it is not by nature a "pleasant" read--there are extended depictions of torture, and themes of terrorism and official brutality run throughout the narrative. The novel has to deal with these things, given what it is, and it never feels gratuitous.

The ARC I received did have some serious formatting issues, but I trust these will be resolved by final publication.

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