La classe de neige

I checked out Emmanuel Carrere's La classe de neige ("Ski Camp") from the library because I needed another French book and it was short.  Luck was on my side as it was an excellent novel.  The story follow a boy on the cusp of adolescence named Nicolas and his time at a school-sponsored ski camp.  Nicolas is an introspective kid, very imaginative and prone to flights of fancy, but also not particularly popular with the others.  When a little boy goes missing in a nearby village, Nicolas decides it would be a fun game to investigate.  The result is very tragic and very dark.  As is often the case with reviews, my plot summary does not do the book justice.  The author has a beautiful understanding of tone and inner dialogue, and the subtle use of memory and daydreams lends the book the feel of mystery and impending revelation.  It's a short book, but a very good one, and absolutely successful in evoking pity for the protagonist.

A quick look at Wikipedia reveals that the book has been made into a movie . . .