Charlotte by David Foenkinos

Author:David Foenkinos [FOENKINOS, DAVID]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC014000; FIC019000
ISBN: e9781468313444
Publisher: The Overlook Press
Published: 2016-05-03T04:00:00+00:00

5

The Salomon family is eating lunch in silence.

There’s a knock at the door.

Charlotte looks at her father.

Every sound is a menace.

It cannot be otherwise.

They all remain seated around the table.

Without moving, immobilized by fear.

More knocking.

Harder, more determined.

They must do something.

If they don’t, the door will be smashed down.

Finally, Albert gets to his feet.

Two men in dark suits stand outside.

Albert Salomon?

Yes.

Please follow us.

Where are we going?

Don’t ask questions.

Can I take a few things?

There’s no point, just hurry up.

Paula tries to intervene.

Albert signals her to keep quiet.

Better to avoid a scene.

They’ll fire at the least sign of resistance.

They only want him, so at least that’s something.

Probably for an interrogation.

It won’t last long.

They’ll realize that he’s a war hero.

He gave his blood for Germany.

Albert puts on his coat and his hat.

And turns around to kiss his wife and daughter goodbye.

Hurry up!

His kisses are fleeting, stolen.

He leaves the apartment, without looking back.

Charlotte and Paula hug each other tight.

They don’t know why he was taken.

They don’t know where he’s going.

They don’t know how long it will be.

They don’t know anything.

Kafka wrote about this in The Trial.

The hero, Joseph K., is arrested without reason.

Just like Albert, he prefers not to resist.

The only judicious attitude consists in accommodating oneself to the way things are.

So that’s it.

It’s “the way things are.”

There is nothing to be done against the way things are.

But how far does that way go?

The process seems irreversible.

Everything has already been written in the novel.

Josef K. will be killed like a dog.

As if the shame must outlive him.

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