A poignant story about a teen from a troubled family just trying to find peace and security in a world that won’t let him…

It’s the early 1970s and Antoine is an only child. His peaceful, idyllic childhood on the family farm deteriorates when his father decides to stop working the land and begins working in a factory. His loving, caring father turns into a violent man under the influence of alcohol. After long days at work he settles into a routine of getting drunk at a local bar only to come home to abuse his wife, both verbally and physically, and sometimes his child. Only one night, things go too far and in order to save his mother from his father’s grip, Antoine stabs and kills his father. But it’s too late, his mother is also dead.

As a now-orphaned early teen, Antoine is sent to a detention center for minors where victims like himself are mixed in together with criminals. There he is confronted with older boys who decide to make him a target especially because he is so frail and timid. It turns out that life without his abusive father is not any easier for Antoine.

But then there’s hope. Antoine is welcomed into a foster family that genuinely wants what’s best for him. He learns how to box which helps him gain self-assurance and strength. He makes a best friend at school and even develops feelings for a girl in his class who seems like him in return. But little by little everything starts to go terribly wrong and the beast living inside of Antoine awakens yet again…

Christian Blanchard lives in Brittany. After working in the public sector for 25 years, he decided to write full-time. He is the author of Iboga (Belfond, 2018), prix des lecteurs du meilleur polar Points 2020, Seul avec la nuit (Belfond, 2019), Angkar (Belfond, 2020), prix du roman noir 2020 des bibliothèques et médiathèques de Grand Cognac, as well as Tu ne seras plus mon frère (Belfond, 2021), prix du roman de la ville de Carhaix 2021.