When Paris Was Dark: A Sliver of WWII History

by Y.M. Masson

The story of a young French boy during the WWII German occupation.

When five-year-old Alain, a little boy living in Paris, is strafed by German planes at the onset of the German invasion in 1940, his world is instantly turned on its head. During the next four years, like the children who fight to survive today’s many conflicts around the world, he grows up fast and must be mentally strong and alert to stay safe. With limited parental support, Alain and his young friends face increasing deprivation, devastating hunger, and constant fear of the occupying Germans soldiers, with their intimidating rules and random street blockades and checkpoints. He also dreads the Allies’ air raids, although he knows the bombers are on his side.

After being silent for four years, one day all the churches of Paris ring their bells to celebrate the end of the occupation, and Alain welcomes the American GIs who fought bravely to liberate him.

Genres: Historical Fiction

244 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

Born in Paris, as a young boy Yves Masson experienced the hardships of German occupation. Not yet five years old when he is strafed by German dive bombers, Alain learn about war, the random checkpoints and round-ups manned by the occupying army, the lines for food and the increasing scarcity of basic nutrition needs, the horrors of friends taken away, and the nightly fear of being buried in bombing raids. With his friends, Alain survives although being almost shot more than once. Never giving up hope, he welcomes the Allies who liberate Paris and thanks the GIs who freed him from oppression and gave him some of their food. After serving in the French army during the Algerian war, 15 years late, he left France for New York City in 1965 and became a United States citizen in the early seventies. He lived in New York, Georgia, and California, and has made Florida his home state since 2011. After working as a marketing executive in Corporate America and running his own consulting firm, Yves turned to the arts. He is an accomplished portrait artist, but he feels it is more important to share his life experiences with his readers. Yves knows what war does to people and especially to children. His ability to describe the daily fears, the devastating hunger pains, and the despair of deprivation and coercion draws his audience into the struggle for survival of his young characters.

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 1940 German invasion has bombarded Paris but for five-year-old Alain, his world has turned upside down. He doesn't understand what's going on. All he knows is that he must survive, by all means necessary. Alain and his friends stick together and help each other through this war. He endures what no young boy should have to face: air raids, German soldiers, hunger, stark fear. When the bells start ringing in Paris announcing the end of the German occupation, he joins others in welcoming the American soldiers who have liberated them. This is one boy's witness account of WWII.

When Paris Was Dark is a compelling historical fiction tale from a viewpoint not written much about: a young child. War is hardest on the children and this is beautifully described in this book. Stark narration connects the reader with Alain right away. The emotional POV touched me deeply. The historical accuracy is well done and I commend the author on a well-researched novel. If you're a historical fiction fan and looking for a new spin on WWII, pick up When Paris Was Dark today. I can't recommend this book enough. I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it.

My Rating: 5+ stars

Reviewed by: Mrs. N

[Blue Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful historical fiction — a sensitive story of courage, resilience and hope.
The series deals with lifelong journey of protagonist, from his childhood during WWII to fighting the inner demons of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Empathetic style and atmospheric prose envelopes and takes the reader from the streets of occupied Paris to surrealistic beauty of Himalayas.
Fascinating fictionalized account of WWII through an authentic, different perspective in searing setting.
The authors versatile approach to first-person narration, its tuning according to characters' growth made it psychologically compelling and realistic.
Y. M. Masson trilogy is an intimate experience and a lesson: never give up no matter how dark it gets.
Great choice for the fans of Historical Fiction especially around WWII, victims of PTSD or anyone looking for a deeply touching and compelling read. Highly recommend!
Looking forward to future works of the author.

[Ionia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how to feel about this book at first, it seemed somehow as if the author was very removed from the writing, but this was before I read the author bio, and figured out that perhaps This is one of the things that makes this book work. Rather than seeing the world through the eyes of an adult, whilst reading this book, you will experience it through the eyes of a child, who is living the reality, or in this case, reliving it.

Unlike many books that have to do with this type of subject matter, this book does not end on a terrible note, and as hard as it is to imagine, has a sort of uplifting and believable ending. The writing itself is different but in a good way. The narrator makes you feel for his situation and that of his family, but without having to get into absolutely grotesque detail to do so.

In the end, I thought this was a well-written and interesting book, with a lot to recommend it to others. It made me think about parts of the war and the aftermath that one is usually not exposed to.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting retelling of a survivor from WWII. Alain lives in a country that has been taken over by Nazi's, and has to learn to adapt. Regardless of the terrifying times, he's fairly peace-minded and loves people. He has to survive through attacks, gunfire, people being beaten and left for dead. Most of this happens around him until a day when he has to face an attacker. His ability to get through not only that but devastation in the days to follow is crazy to me and one that shows great bravery. I enjoyed that it's not the typical POV, but one from a child during one of the most horrific wars of all time. It shows that it didn't just affect certain area's, it was a war that stretched out all over. I couldn't imagine having to battle within yoursel fin order to survive through hell. It makes me have greater respect for those who lived thorugh such times. This is a great historical retelling. Fabulous!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books about World War 2 lately and most are told from the perspective of Jewish survivors or those who were on the run in Poland and Germany. This story is told from the perspective of a boy in occupied Paris. He wasn't in the thick of the worst of the war, but war definitely impacted him greatly. I had no idea of the food shortages and other horrors that those even in "safe" places had to endure. I am amazed at the determination and resourcefulness of the people who survived. I was drawn to this story in particular because my Grandpa was stationed in Paris with the American Army and worked in a hospital there. I had the privilege to travel with him to Paris and visit many of the sites mentioned in this book while hearing his memories. This book reminds us that the impacts of war reach farther and wound deeper than we realize.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Paris was Dark: A Sliver of WWII History by Y.M. Masson is a haunting and harrowing tail of a young boy and his companions that are forced to go through things that no child should ever see or do, and a child that grew up too fast in occupied Paris during WWII.

It was crushing to read what Alaine had to go through. I am glad for the uplifting ending. It was a great, and different view, of what the people of occupied Paris had to go through during this horrid time.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Dog Ear Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

[Taimy Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Great book about a young French boy living in Paris during the Nazi occupation during WWII. The war is seen through the eyes of this young boy, Alain, and his friends who help him survive the dangers and challenges of living during war. Unique.
A must read.