The Things We Did for Love

by Natasha Farrant

  The handful of villagers who did survive speak of unbelievable cruelty: of villagers being shot in the legs and then burned alive. Of the wounded being stuffed down wells. They say the flames in the church were so hot they melted the great bronze bell. But two details in the accounts I have read stood out for me amongst the orgy of killing. A small boy, emerging from hiding, shooed away by a young German soldier into the woods and safety. And the description of another young soldier sobbing by the side of the road that evening, when the first witnesses arrived at Oradour to find out what was going on. I’m not sure if it makes it better or worse to be reminded of the human side of the men who committed such barbaric murder, but that is the side I chose to focus on in my novel. Alois’s sacrifice for Paul is a small act of atonement in the face of such unimaginable horror, but it offers him, and us, a much-needed glimmer of redemption

  Today, the village has been turned into a museum. The visit begins in a purpose built Centre of Remembrance, which explains the events which led up to that fateful day. From there, you proceed to the village, which has been left exactly as it was. Nothing has been rebuilt. Cars sit rusting in fields overgrown with flowers, buildings slowly crumble. There is the twisted frame of a pram in the church. At various points in the village – in barns and garages and, most horribly, by a well – signs urge you to be mindful of the men who died here. All around, people talk in whispers. Many are moved to tears. It may be a cliché, but Oradour is one of those places where everywhere you turn there are ghosts. Step away from the crowd for a moment, slip into a house or the graveyard, touch one of those rusting cars, and if you have a speck of imagination you can see it as it used to be.

  If you want to know more about the events of 10 June 1944, there is plenty of information available in English on the Internet – just search for ‘Oradour sur Glane’. Or, of course, you can visit the Centre de la Mémoire (Centre of Remembrance), which is located 20 kilometres west of Limoges (www.oradour.org). I promise you’ll never forget it.

  NF

  London, 8 September 2011

  By the same author

  (published by Transworld)

  Diving Into the Light

  Some Other Eden

  Natasha Farrant grew up in the heart of London’s French community, and currently combines writing with her career as a literary scout. She is the author of two successful novels for adults, Diving into Light and Some Other Eden, both published by Transworld. She lives in West London with her husband, two daughters and a large tortoiseshell cat. The Things We Did for Love is her first novel for young adults.

  First published in 2012

  by Faber and Faber Ltd

  Bloomsbury House

  74–77 Great Russell Street

  London WC1B 3DA

  This ebook edition first published in 2012

  All rights reserved

  © Natasha Farrant, 2012

  The right of Natasha Farrant to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly

  ISBN 978–0–571–27819–0