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Illustrated portrait of Jean Desrochelles

A character in A Very Long Engagement

Jean Desrochelles

The dead corporal whose identity disc changes the ending.

What they want

To survive the battle and return to his mother.

The book

Cover of A Very Long Engagement by Sébastien Japrisot
A Very Long EngagementSébastien Japrisot, 1991

A young artist rebuilds the truth about five condemned soldiers from letters, witnesses, codes, and stubborn love.

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At a glance

Role
the soldier whose name Manech inherits
Pressure
The dead corporal whose identity disc changes the ending.
Goal
To survive the battle and return to his mother.
Evidence
He dies at Bingo; his identity is transferred to Manech.

Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Jean Desrochelles is the soldier whose name manech inherits. The dead corporal whose identity disc changes the ending.

The character wants to survive the battle and return to his mother.. That desire determines what is remembered, hidden, or investigated.

He dies at Bingo; his identity is transferred to Manech. The detail matters because Mathilde can reach the truth only by comparing partial accounts.

How the book draws them

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

  • Rolethe soldier whose name Manech inherits
  • PressureThe dead corporal whose identity disc changes the ending.
  • GoalTo survive the battle and return to his mother.
  • EvidenceHe dies at Bingo; his identity is transferred to Manech.
What happens to Jean DesrochellesHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

He dies at Bingo; his identity is transferred to Manech.

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