The Light from the Dark Side of the Moon

The physical wounds of war may heal,
but the memories can survive for a lifetime.

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From Blank Slate Press
an imprint of the
Amphorae Publishing Group

Image of the Light from the Dark Side of the Moon cover

Ninety-two year-old Henry Budge defies his family by escaping a Boston rehab hospital to make his way to France for the ceremonies marking the 70th observance of D-Day. Before he dies, he hopes to confront the grief he's harbored for decades and to rekindle fading memories of Élodie Bedier, the French Resistance fighter he loved and lost 70 years earlier.

During his journey, he relives events of 1944 – being wounded as he parachutes into Normandy behind enemy lines, falling in love with Élodie who nurses him back to health, fighting the Germans alongside her and her companions, and finally abandoning the front line of the war to
rescue a group of refugee children from the horrors of the Holocaust.
The choices he and Élodie make put him at risk of charges of desertion and her at risk of discovery or death in the mountain passes of the Pyrénées.

And when he finally arrives back in France, Henry stumbles upon a shocking discovery that shakes the foundations of his cherished memories. When he is face-to-face with his past, he's left to wonder about the lies he was told and the life he and Élodie could have shared.

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Review the Readers Guide for The Light from the Dark Side of the Moon.

Praise for Norman G. Gautreau & The Light from the Dark Side of the Moon

“Leave aside the literacy, the eye for historical detail, the unfailing capacity to make remembrance and anticipation flow in a narrative of war. Then only the great humanity of this story would remain. And it would be enough .... And the end makes at least some grown men weep.”

~Alex Rosenberg, Best-selling author of The Girl from Krakow and Autumn in Oxford

“ [A] beautifully told story of war, heartache, and love.... It will bring both tears and laughter.... ”

~US Review of Books

“ ... superbly written ... keeps the story moving forward .... Gautreau’s haunting images of the simultaneous shining of moonlight on the different theaters of the war and the “reflection from the dark side” are awe-inspiring.”

~Historical Novels Review

“ ... caught my interest from the first page and didn't let go until the very last page ... beautifully written ... a must read.”

~Bookloons