The war is finally over. Blessed event, yes, but it left damage in its wake. Peter lost his father there and had to abandon Pax, his fox, not to mention all that contaminated water, full of lead, from which the animals can no longer drink without getting sick. At the dawn of his 14th birthday, the teenager enlisted with the Water Soldiers to clean up the rivers. A long initiatory crossing awaits him.
Winner of the Sorcière prize in 2018 for Peace. The little soldierSara Pennypacker does it again here with a sequel just as bright as the first adventure, if not more. Peace. The way back is an ode to the unbreakable bonds, deeply buried, to these relationships that unite beings and forge them forever. Peter, devastated by the death of his father and the loss of his fox, rages forward in this new reality. Hurt by these repeated abandonments, he refuses any new relationship and even goes so far as to hope that his heart will become a rock. But all it takes is a breach, a slight crack, to let the other in, accept fate and rebuild oneself. The way back is thus a crossing strewn with doubts, fears, but also with hope during which Peter learns, alongside Jade and Samuel, this young couple with whom he tries to “repair the damage of the war”.
Peter’s story alternates with that of Pax, a faithful fox, who sets out on his own, accompanied by his daughter, a fragile and carefree little fox. Forty-four chapters held by an omniscient narration, which leaves plenty of room for the thoughts of the two protagonists, two souls linked by fate. But if Peter and Pax are progressing slowly towards a better tomorrow, strong and fragile at the same time, the horde of characters surrounding the two companions is just as endearing and important. In the lead, Vola, a former soldier, an indulgent and loving foster mother, a real home base for the teenager.
The poetry of links
If the framework of this initiatory story is embroidered with finesse, the pages turn effortlessly, the characters, whole, propel us into this deserted countryside, the strength of the story is very much due to Pennypacker’s poetic writing – here in a translation by Faustina Fiore. The return to the sources undertaken by Peter is embellished with several contemplative moments, with details perceived or experienced in particular by the hero, with atmospheres which make it possible to grasp all its delicacy. In mind, this moment when he begins to observe the “bats hovering silently above the river, looking for something to eat” while discovering “at his feet, an army of ants […] that attacks cookie crumbs. This river, character in itself and so precious, which is, Pax will tell his daughter, “endless water that runs like the wind”.
As in the first volume, a few monochrome illustrations by Jon Klassen dot the story. Thanks to a sensitive and minimalist line, to a few frank lines, the artist manages to capture the key moments of the story, to render with depth and delicacy the beauty of the links while letting the reader imagine the surroundings. Great literature that combines adventure, sensitivity, learning and intelligence.