Death At Half-Mast is the first novel by Denis Emorine. For him, this novel is a watermark of his work. He presents his favorite themes, especially love and death, which are brushing against each other, mingling, confronting each other until the end. First and foremost, this book is an hymn to passion in any form and fidelity because the main character, writer Dominique Valarcher, belongs to one woman only, Laetitia. As long as he lives with this superior, intelligent and attractive woman, death is suspended, set back, even if, for him, death is an obsession he can't forget. Dominique is divided, sometimes excited and at other times, extremely sensitive. For him, important affective relations are with women because with them he feels like a privileged person. With each favorite lady friend, Dominique tries to find the sister he never had. The young women who like him consider him as a symbolic father. Of course, it's not quite safe. Valarcher is from Russian ancestry on his grandmother's side and Laetita often tells him: "Your Russian side frightens me." Those contradictions are increasing his fragility and give him a particular inspiration. Meeting Nora Nemeth, a student who is working on a master's thesis about his work, is a challenge for him. Could he overcome his weak character and especially his cowardice?
