Surviving in Paris during Nazi Occupation

The Paris Architect
by Charles Belfoure

What was it like to live in Paris during the Nazi Occupation?  What if you were a talented, well educated architect, but out of work?  What if you had a wife to support and rent to pay?  What would you do to survive?

This is what Lucien Bernard is facing when he is presented with a profitable commission from a wealthy Paris industrialist.  While this commission will make him a lot of money, it might also get him killed.  The commission Lucien Bernard reluctantly accepts is to design hiding places for Jews.  While he is not an anti-Semite, he also does not want to risk his life.  This is just the first dilemma, Lucien faces.  If he accepts this commission, the wealthy industrialist promises him the commission to design an addition to his factory, so it can be adapted to make weapons for the Nazis.

So, by accepting the challenge of designing undetectable hiding places for Jews, does Lucien become a collaborator or is he just doing what is necessary to survive this occupation?

This is not the only moral or ethical question presented in this thought provoking, and beautifully written, debut novel by Charles Belfoure.  How far would you go to help a stranger?  What would you risk to survive if your country were occupied by a brutal regime? 

There are several similarities between the fictional character of Lucien Bernard and the real life industrialist/opportunist, who saved thousands Jews, Oskar Schindler.  This is a DO NOT MISS, Must Read Novel!