Mon frère Yves

"The novel tells the story of a young Breton sailor, Yves Kermadec, who inherited the alcoholism that has been undermining his family for generations. He was taken in friendship by an officer of the same age as him, the narrator Pierre (Loti), who swore an oath before the young man's elderly mother to help and protect him: "I swear to look after him all my life, as if he were my brother. "Hence the title of the novel. Yves married, had a son named Pierre, like his friend, and after many ups and downs, he gave up alcohol and eventually settled down. My brother Yves is the only novel by Loti that ends well, even if the last page suggests that a relapse is always possible.
Much of the action takes place in Brest, a city that Loti hated, and which is presented as a real "hell", the seat of all vices and temptations, while the open sea is a kind of Eden where sailors find innocence and purity. Loti gives a flattering and idealized image of the Breton countryside and its inhabitants.

LIMITED EDITED to 2000 numbered copies on marsh vellum paper. This is one of the numbered copies.