In 1919, in a small town in the province of Berry, France, under the sweltering temperatures of summer heat wave, a war hero is being held prisoner in an abandoned barrack. In front of the door to his prison, a mangy dog barks night and day. Miles from where he is being held, in the French countryside, an intelligent young woman works the land, waiting and hoping. And a military investigating officer, whose principles have been sorely shaken by the war, must complete his last assignment before returning home.

Three characters. In their midst, a dog holds the key both to their futures and to this intriguing plot.

Full of poetry and life, The Red Collar is at once a pleasingly straightforward narrative about the human spirit and a profound work about loyalty and love.

Jean-Christophe Rufin
Jean-Christophe Rufin is one of the founders of Doctors Without Borders and a former Ambassador of France in Senegal. He has written numerous bestsellers, including The Abyssinian, for which he won the Goncourt Prize for a debut novel in 1997. He also won the Goncourt Prize in 2001 for Brazil Red. His novels include The Red Collar (Europa, 2015), Checkpoint (Europa, 2017) and The Dream Maker (Europa, 2017).

• Nov 1 2015
  The Historical Novels Review: "a painful and moving tale of the horrors of war, mistaken pride, and unbounded loyalty."
  — The Historical Novels Review
• Sep 17 2015
  San Francisco Chronicle: “The book is perfectly paced, darkly humorous and an excellent window into the turmoil and emerging politics of postwar France.”
  
• Aug 1 2015
  New York Journal of Books: "A modern parable about loyalty to others, fidelity to one’s convictions, and the self-effacement needed to bear the consequences of living by one’s beliefs."
  
• Jul 26 2015
  The Cedar Rapids Gazette: "...The Red Collar” is a story so haunting and powerful that it hits as hard and true as a blast from a shell.”
  
• Jul 25 2015
  The Independent: “Utterly compelling in its psychological understanding.”
  
• Jul 23 2015
  THE RED COLLAR picked as the August read for University Book Store’s Nick’s Book Club.