Used book – *Grossir le ciel*, Franck Bouysse

SNCF Polar Prize selection Les Doges, a hamlet deep in the Cévennes. This is where Gus lives, a solitary and taciturn middle-aged farmer. His days: fields, cows, wood, repairs. Arduous tasks, dictated by the weather conditions. The company of his dog, Mars, his only comfort. It is also the daily life of Abel, a neighbour whose farm is a few metres away, who became a friend somewhat by default, for helping hands and for drinks. One day, Abbé Pierre disappears, and everything changes: Abel changes, unusual events occur, inopportune visits repeat themselves.

A surprising, rich, and rare rural suspense.

Two solitary farmers. Family secrets like a ticking time bomb. The Cévennes, sumptuous and austere. We haven't stopped talking about it, Bouysse's style: carnal, refined. With nothing, he creates a world. Alain Léauthier, Marianne.

Beautiful, dark, poignant novel. Léon-Marc Levy, La Cause littéraire.