Victor Dalmau

Victor Dalmau is one of the main characters of the novel. He grew up in Barcelona with his father Marcel Luis, his mother Carme, and his younger brother Guillem. Unlike his brother, Victor was bookish and shy. In order to nuance his otherwise hermetic lifestyle, his parents encouraged him to learn music. Victor learned to play the guitar. After primary school, he went on to study medicine.

When the Spanish Civil War broke out, Victor joined the Baby Bottle Conscription and began serving as a medic. In 1938, however, Victor realized that he would soon have to flee his home country. Although devastated to part with his homeland, he followed his countrymen towards the French border. Before leaving, however, he asked his friend Aitor, an ambulance driver, to help his mother and his late brother Guillem’s lover Roser to escape Barcelona.

Some time after arriving in France...