Love and ambition in Angkor in the 1930s...
The novel Le Karma du conservateur ("The Karma of the Conservator") tells the story of a young French couple who come to live in Cambodia, he to work for the Conservation of Archaeological Heritage in Angkor, she to conduct ethnographic research in the villages. At first they appear the image of a perfect couple, yet, their relationship quickly deteriorates as their respective preoccupations drive them apart and a sick jealousy invades the young archaeologist Daniel. Between divergent ambitions and thwarted love, the affair turns tragic as Daniel is found dead in circumstances that remain mysterious. Throughout the story, rainy and dry seasons follow one another, while excavation campaigns on the site of the Angkor temples continue and Julie, increasingly close to the Cambodians, both notables and villagers, asserts herself in her profession and in her life choices. In a letter to Abel Reynaud, the conservator, she explains herself at length, alternating with Reynaud’s account of the events. Through these two points of view, a possible truth emerges for the reader.