It is 1936, and Albert B. is one of the first French citizens to join
the Fascist party. During the war, he becomes a collaborator. It's only
a matter of time before he dons a German uniform himself. Taking place
in the limbo between the moment of Albert's initial fall and his
inevitable capture, following the Allied invasion of Mainau, The Laurels
of Lake Constance is the story not only of Albert himself, but of his
daughter, who must endure the paradox of loving a man whose beliefs and
allegiances are nothing short of catastrophic.
Beautifully translated by novelist Harry Mathews, The Laurels of Lake
Constance is a profoundly moving story about both war and childhood, and
their intersection in one household, conjured in all its details, be
they beautiful or shameful: a resigned mother playing music, a father
absent, an era frozen in a tragic fresco where novelistic detail mixes
with history.