Graham Robb

A tale of greed and catastrophe: An Honourable Exit, by Éric Vuillard, reviewed

Vuillard’s powerful novel analyses the French army’s humiliation in 1954 at the siege of Dien Bien Phu, and the motivations of the principal players

General Navarre, Colonel de Castries and General Cogny inspecting French troops in Northwest Vietnam in 1954. [Getty Images]
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  • An Honourable Exit

    Éric Vuillard, translated by Mark Polizzotti

    Picador, pp. 192, £14

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