I had no idea that The Bridge Over the River Kwai was a novel before it got made into a movie, let alone a French novel. I don’t recall where I stumbled upon this information, but it encouraged me to get a copy from the library.
It’s a quick read (though in my case it would’ve been quicker in English), brief in focus, without a lot of narrative expansion. The story begins with a group of English POWs led by Lt. Colonel Nicholson, a man of profound resolve and and unbending yet warped sense of duty. He and his men are made to build a bridge over the eponymous River Kwai, and his resolve is tested early when his overseer, Colonel Saito, tries to force the officers to conduct manual labour. He refuses, and the resulting battle of wills ends when he is allowed supervisory duty. It is a duty he takes seriously, and the construction of the bridge becomes a symbol of his pride and sense of superiority over his captors.
The narrative shifts halfway through to a group of three English special operatives, who are tasked to destroy the very bridge Colonel Nicholson is building. The story climaxes with a scene where Nicholson must choose his allegiance between his country and his bridge.
The pacing was tight, with interesting descriptions of the process of construction and sabotage that provide a clear view without getting bogged down in detail. I find it difficult to gauge the quality of French prose, but the style seemed good, with moments of introspection offered in between the more clinical description of the action. A good book overall.