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Heritage

by Karine McCall

277 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-1286; ISBN 1-55395-570-6; US$24.00, C$27.85, EUR20.00, £14.00

The atmosohere of Heritage shifts between the pendulam of unbending traditionalism relevant to an old-fashioned arrogant, titled French family and that of a dangerous careless and intriguing adventure of modern times. It takes place in contemporary France. It is the tale of a French woman, Antoinette Duchatelle, and her struggle to safegaurd the despairing love she feels for a French-Algerian terrorist, Ahmed Kharoubi. It is a heartbreaking tragedy of hope against all odds.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts       catalogue info

About the Book The atmosphere of Heritage shifts between the pendulum of unbending traditionalism relevant to an old-fashioned arrogant, titled French family and that of a dangerous, careless and intriguing adventure of modern times. It takes place in contemporary France. It is the tale of a French woman, Antoinette Duchatelle, and her struggle to safeguard the despairing love she feels for a French-Algerian terrorist, Ahmed Kharoubi. It is a heartbreaking tragedy of hope against all odds. Antoinette, age 32 has an impassive, marble-like beauty that deflects her true sentiments of inadequacy and loneliness. She is married to Claude Duchatelle, a man of driving political aspirations. Claude is fascinated by Anoinette's Parisian chic and sex appeal, but his feelings are otherwise superficial towards her. Selfish and egotistical, he is primarily impressed by Charles-Eustache de Chabagniac, Antoinette's aristocratic and influential father, whom he solely ingratiates to further his career. He and Antoinette have a daughter, Confort, aged 5. Ahmed, a fiery and impulsive young man in his late twenties, is obsessed with the desire to avenge the betrayal of his fellow Algerians living in France. This is his life's passion and any crime committed to this cause he considers justified. When Antoinette infatuates him, he is horrified at his weakness and ashamed that a woman can confuse his intentions. Antoinette's cousin, Merveille de Chabagniac, is an eccentric 'would-be' pantomine actress. Jealous of Antoinette, she incites Ahmed to rob Claude's apartment in Paris and steal his invaluable collection of African Art- a plan that backfires and initiates a torrent of disastrous events. When Ahmed and Antoinette meet they are immediately attracted to one another; an obsession which alters both their lives, if not their innate personalities. One horrifiying episode follows another, yet they remain together, perplexed by their separate feelings, traumatised by their circumstances, yet bound by their love. The scene shifts from Paris to Antoinette's country house in Normandy, to Burgundy, where Ahmed's friend and collaborator, Faical Benhabbyles, gains entrance into the chateaux and lives off the wealthy disguised as a priest. In the course of a year, their problems increase in intensity. Antoinette's father disowns her; Confort, Antoinette's beloved daughter, is taken by her husband and subsequently kidnapped by Ahmed for Antoinette's sake; the police hunt for Ahmed and Faical takes refuge in Antoinette's house in Normandy. Antoinette's disturbed cousin Merveille, is killed on the motorway and Faical is shot by Charles-Eustache de Chanagniac. The climax of Ahmed's struggles peak when Ahmed's true identity is discovered for it evolves that he has been living under a ficticious name and is, in reality, the sought-after murderer, Omar Bellili. Ahmed has no alternative but to flee the country. Meanwhile Antoinette gives birth to his son. The tragedy of the novel is two-fold. Antoinette, blinded by love, refuses to give up hope that there could be a future in their relationship, while Ahmed who has never been involved with anything but his cause, which is one of life and death- if not for humanity at least for himself- has blundered and all his plans, projects, his sentiments for Antoinette have turned out to be catastrophic. The French-Algerians are now frightened by their affiliation with him; his hero and closest friend, Faical, is dead. Crushed by his circumstance, he sees no reason to take caution and returns to France. Typical of his defiance of the law, he enters a museum and steals a priceless pre-Colombian ring to give to Antoinette as a parting token of his love for her. Antoinette, grief-stricken by his decision to finalize their liaison, takes the ring and only realises later that it is stolen property. Subsequently, she hears the news that the military police have broken in to Ahmed's lodgings and that he, in defiance of their intent to arrest him, has died while attempting to escape through a window of his apartment. Then, and only at that point, does she truly comprehend the full significance of their great love; for Ahmed instilled in her a reason to grow, a reason to live, a reason to love. He gave her faith in herself. He gave her a son. But above all she finally understands that Ahmed's greatest gifts to her had not been stolen, but had been provided from the heart.

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About the Author Karine McCall, a fourth generation Californian and member of a talented family, was raised in an atmosphere of artistic achievement. At the age of seventeen, Karine pursued a career in the theatre and performed on the New York stage; while at the same time she continued to study music. At twenty-two she married a Venetian. This experience was to become the future setting of her first novel, Stones in Heaven. She has moved to England where she has written Heritage and the forthcoming novel, Devil's Paradise. Her fascination for music has recently challenged her to write Dianora and the Countertenor. Karine has two daughters and the memory of her beloved son. She lives in London and Venice.

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Sample Excerpts

As Ahmed spoke, he studied Antoinette. Her long, wind-blown hair had formed ringlets that outlined her face in a beguiling manner. Suddenly she no longer appeared a chic Parisian; instead, her casual, natural beauty dazzled him. He stared at her, desperately hoping she wouldn't leave him. He turned away and lit a cigarette, his brows furrowing in concentration as he said, "There is something you don't understand--my responsibility towards my own people. They're poor. They live on next to nothing. I must explain something to you..." he added. As Ahmed looked at Antoinette his expression altered to one of utter shame. "My father was a Harkis! Does that mean anything to you?" Without waiting for a response, he continued. "During the Algerian war the French recruited Algerians and paid them to spy, inform on their fellow countrymen. In return for their help, the French offered them a better way of life. They promised them refuge, French citizenship, good jobs...etc. They approached my father. They knew his type...spineless, frightened of the war and the miserable circumstances of his country. My father became an instrument of the French and therefore a traitor towards his own people. All for nothing, because when he arrived in France and took on French citizenship, which is what these Harkis did, he was treated like scum. Oh yes, my father also paid for his sin of betrayal. He ended his life a miserable drunk who, one day, got hold of a gun and shot himself in the head. His destiny was no accident in my mind, but justice, for through his treachery and his greed our people suffered terrible atrocities or were tortured to death. I condemn him for that and the guilt that I feel as his son follows me everywhere I go!"

There was a deadly silence between Antoinette and Ahmed. Finally Antoinette had, once again, the courage to speak up for her own cause.

"Do you think that life is good for Confort and me right now?" Suddenly worn out, she leant back, her head resting heavily against a cushion.

Ahmed spun towards her, unable to believe that she could have uttered such insensitve words. "What do you mean? I'm speaking about people who have real problems! Don't you realise the trouble we Arabs still have in France? Is your world so small that you're only concerned about what happens to you?"

A lump formed in Antoinette's throat.

"Our lives are wretched," he continued. "We're underpaid. We're scorned--treated like intruders. For many, especially of my parent's generation, the conditions are shocking."

"Ah mon Dieu," Antoinette sighed. "What am I supposed to surmise? That you only slept with me as a means to get to my family so as to benefit your people? Because that's what it sounds like!"

"The answer is no!" he spat out. "That's not the truth!"

"I don't know that I believe you," she said boldly. Conscious of his mounting anger.

"Merde, why does everything have to be so complicated! Antoinette, you're important to me. I'm not going to let you down."

"Ah, no?" Visions of last night when she'd put Confort to bed, when they had kissed one another good night, were vivid in her mind. Tears of anger filled her eyes as she said, "And what about my daughter?"

"Come off it! You know that I didn't deliberately arrange for her to be spirited away."

"Nevertheless, the fact remains that Confort was taken from me. And for that reason you must do something to help us be reunited. You're not obligated to me in any other way, although it would have been nice had you been truthful with me from the start."

Agonised by her words, his face became clouded with the frustration of a man whose actions were misconstrued. "Antoinette, I want to show you how important you are to me, but I don't know how to do that. The circumstances are difficult. I understand that what has happened is humiliating. I know you feel used."

She looked over at the far wall. "I don't care about any of that. I only want to be with my daughter."

He didn't answer her.

"What am I doing here, Ahmed? Why did you bring me to Bourgogne?" she asked.

"As I said before, the African art must be sent over the border to Spain. My partner and I have to arrange all that. Also- for Christ's sake, Antoinette, you had nowhere else to go and I wanted to be with you."

"And what about Confort?"

"Give me time. I'll think of a way to get her here."

Suddenly Antoinette was struck by the age difference between them. Ahmed was twenty-nine, an age when everything still seemed possible. In all probability, he really did want to help Confort and her, but from her point of view it now seemed that he'd only ever had experience in dealing with his own people and their cause, rather than considering the perils of a woman he claimed he cared for; and that woman's daughter. Antoinette attempted to reason her position; both their positions. In fact, she needed to speak out her thoughts as much as she needed him to hear her. And she wanted to do this in a dispassionate way.

"Admittedly I was naive to rely on you," she began hesitantly. "I came to Bourgogne voluntarily but," she emphasised, "under false pretenses. You had no right to let me come here without telling me that you were harbouring stolen goods on your property. You are a thief, which might not make any difference to you but, under the circumstances, should to me. You could get into terrible trouble and I most certainly should not be sitting under the same roof with your stolen goods! In fact, I should not be anywhere near you! I'm supposed to be a responsible woman who, admittedly, has acted in an immature way, while you are hardly more than a boy-- a boy who's taking risks."

Ahmed walked over to the stack of wood, picked up a log and flung it into the fireplace, while Antoinette went to the window. Outside it was dark. The gentle evening breeze had turned into a howling wind that, in spite of the roaring fire, sent a chill through her.

"We are at cross-purposes, Ahmed. I want to be with my child, while you want to steal and blackmail people. Our objectives are not only different but they oppose one another." She turned and looked him directly in the face. "I don't believe you really know what to do about Confort, because it might endanger your other plans."

"We'll think of a way to bring Confort to Montaubain. I promise, Antoinette."

"Oh, why did you bring those stupid African sculptures down here?" she blurted out. "I'm going to phone Confort. I'm homesick for her and want to reassure her that.."

No," he interrupted, "you won't phone her."

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Catalogue Information

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