The Blood of Others

Written in 1945, and set during the German occupation a few years earlier, the world was in a bleak predicament, and the French existentialist movement was in full force - with their general belief that it is us as individuals who have the power to bring essence and meaning to our own lives, not Gods or people in positions of authority. For those people interested in this area, but who prefer a good read to philosophical dogma, you should read De Beauvoir instead of Sartre. This book seeks out to touch upon some of the key ideas in existentialism - including the mundane (this isn't how it sounds!) alienation, freedom and commitment. It does this through the awakening of the French resistance movement seen through the eyes of two lovers (Helene and Jean). In some ways, I feel like it deals with some of the conflicts within existentialism and within Beauvoir herself. Unlike other existentialist novels, this book weaves dogma and story effectively, and is the closest any book in the genre gets to a love story.

Who are you truly responsible to in times of turmoil, when you have certain convictions, you want to agitate for your country's freedom, and yet you know your actions have--and will continue to have, dire consequences for your loved ones, friends, and fellow citizens? These are questions Simone de Beauvoir explores through her characters in The Blood of Others. This is a novel that engaged me further with each succeeding chapter--it gets better and better. Descriptions of the French people escaping their German occupied towns, clogging up roads and stuck in their cars without gas or food, are especially vivid, not to mention the vacillating emotions of anguish, love, hatred, and everything in between among the characters. Also, the dialogues of the main characters--Jean and Helene, with their respective parents, are particularly poignant as they deal with the skeptism and disapproval of their elders. The back and forth transitions from third person to first person (Jean Blomart) throughout the novel are a bit jarring to the flow of reading and caused some confusion in the beginning for me. That is my only minor complaint! The Blood of Others has forced me to think about the issues that are important to me, and made me wonder how far I would go to preserve what I believe in. It is a thought provoking, well-written novel.

This novel is far better than any of her other novels. It has a gripping plot (in spite of being a European novel and a "literary" novel). It dramatizes some of the essential themes of Sartrean existentialism and throws the reader into the world in a vivid way. It has not received the promotion of her other novels, probably because it has a plot. Unless you share the prejudice against compelling fiction, do not let this preconception make you miss one of the best novels of the twentieth century.

Through the study of the social ethics of France under German occupation, Simone de Beauvoir describes the true question at the heart of existentialism - 'How much responsibility can one truly have for other peoples' lives?' - and the ethical and moral questions that are raised as a consequence. That said, the book is lively and weaves the philosophical theme into the story seamlessly. Profound and uplifting.