A novel about a child's growing awareness of the secret at the heart of his family.
A ten-year-old boy lives alone with his grandmother in a Flemish village. Among the photographs his grandmother cherishes is a portrait of Marcel, who died young, far away. How did he die? The little boy is determined to find out. When he finds letters from Marcel in the attic, he decides to take them to school. He points excitedly to the letterhead - an eagle holding something in its claws. As his fellow pupils fall silent, the teacher explains that the symbol is a swastika. Undeterred, the boy decides that he must discover what became of Marcel.
'Marcel' is a sympathetic, often hilarious exploration of hidden pasts, of pride and shame - of the burden of guilt borne by so many in post-war Europe.
