World War II: Lenka, a 19-year-old Russian woman, joins the USSR’s armed forces. Her love of country and determination to defend it all costs make her a formidable fighter. A primary-school teacher who turns out to be a gifted sniper, she is also something of a hothead who rejects discipline.

Brave and daring, she soon becomes a celebrity that is worshipped by the party and held up as a role model for soldiers on the frontlines. Nicknamed invisible death by the Germans, she racks up an impressive tally.

Etoile rouge, a gripping tale with apocalyptic scenes, plunges readers into the chaos of war. Above and beyond Lenka’s story (which was inspired by the true story of Roza Chanina, 1924-1945), the real subject of this novel is women’s lives during the war.

Florian Ferrier slips inside their minds, seeing the world through their eyes: the war offered many women a way to emancipate themselves from the patriarchal structure. The opportunity to change the balance, be treated as men’s equal or even to outdo them, was a powerful motivation. Far from the clichéd ideal of the fearless hero, Florian Ferrier explores the shadowy zones and powerful emotions that push Lenka, and so many others like her, ever further – at the risk of their lives.