The Pestilence of Berezina - Death of diaries

The Pestilence of Berezina - Death Diaries is a diary-style narrative that blends historical events with introspective and ghostly elements. The story is set during the retreat of Napoleon's army across the Berezina River in 1812-a military disaster that left thousands dead, trapped between ice and Russian forces.
The protagonist, Antoine Boucher, a reserve cuirassier, awakens after the battle in a desolate landscape: the frozen river, remnants of defeat, and an almost supernatural silence. Through his diary entries, he gradually reconstructs who he is, what happened to him, and what his current state might be, while reflecting on war, death, and memory.
The narrative unfolds in an ambiguous space between life and death, where Antoine seems more a specter than a survivor. The atmosphere is dark, melancholic, and symbolic: nature rejects him, solitude consumes him, and his identity wavers between soldier, man, and shadow. Amid it all, memories of his wife and fallen comrades serve as emotional anchors that compel him to keep writing.
In this tone, the book explores war not as glory, but as absurdity: a stage of futile sacrifices, distant orders, and irreparable losses. Antoine's voice reveals both his intimate pain and his bitter critique of the war machine-not through grand heroic gestures, but through the everyday experience of an anonymous soldier burdened by the echoes of Berezina.