V13

September 2021: A century-long trial begins in Paris. On Friday, November 13, 2015, seven ISIS fighters detonated explosives at the Bataclan concert hall, on the terraces of several cafés, and in front of the Stade de France, killing 131 people and injuring nearly 700. Following these attacks, a state of emergency was declared in France, which lasted for two years, fundamentally altering the country's image and society—from policing methods to the political spectrum: a national trauma. In the exemplary trial referred to by insiders as "V13," this trauma was to be addressed, hundreds of perspectives weighed, and ultimately a verdict reached. Emmanuel Carrère attended the trial every day for nine months, writing a weekly column from the courtroom, reporting on the participants, the horror, unexpected humanity, and the machinery of justice.

V13 is a multifaceted portrait of a trial through which a society deeply shaken to its core seeks healing. The stage of the specially constructed courtroom allowed all participants to have their say, and thus Carrère recounts what he heard and inquired: Who were the victims and the perpetrators? How does terrorism arise? Why did what happened, happen? With V13, Carrère has created another significant book that journeys through the deepest darkness to find love, hope, and light right there.