With Des enfants gâtés, journalist Caroline de Gruyter explores Europe at the edge of its Rubicon. Dozing in the illusion of eternal peace, the old continent must relearn how to approach war, name its shadows, and share its nightmares. Her erudite and engaging book is a cautious dive into the fractured memories of its citizens: where the past, always on the surface and never buried, whispers its warnings. Des enfants gâtés. Les Européens, la guerre et la paix is translated from Dutch by Philippe Noble and Olivier Vanwersch-Cot and published by Actes Sud, 350 pages, 24 €. Drawing from thirty-five years of experience on the ground, de Gruyter's strength lies in her ability to bring together different perspectives—those of soldiers, diplomats, sociologists, historians, and writers—often kept apart by institutions like Brussels. As a mediator between these worlds, she connects readings of power, war, and memory that usually exist in isolation. Her notebooks compile expert insights, major historical moments, absurd anecdotes, and everyday gestures. The Great History, she suggests, is made in the small: a charred car with a bloodstained toiletry kit, a red geranium bought during an invasion, or a Croatian grandmother's wardrobe packed with "just in case" supplies. These objects become capsules of memory, revealing the fragmented psyche of an era. De Gruyter's approach echoes that of Rebecca West, who understood Europe by traveling through it and finding great history in small stories. She also recalls the style of Madame de Staël, mapping "national characters" and acting as a mediator between past and present, as well as between European cultures. Her work spans Europe's institutional capitals and its northern, eastern, and Balkan margins, moving through the Middle East as well. She dissects a patchwork of traumas, legacies, and recompositions, noting that the same war has produced very different memories across Europe—of victory, occupation, collaboration, and guilt. The author highlights the complexity of European identity, noting that peace has covered wounds without erasing them. This is evident in the scars of the Bosnian war, where the past, though buried, never truly dies. The title Des enfants gâtés ("Spoiled Children") takes on full meaning in the context of generations who, after experiencing war, believed it could never return. The "never again" mantra has created a sense of normalcy around peace, leading to a material and mental disarmament. However, sociologist Julien Freund warns that this can lead to a dangerous imbalance: a society can renounce war but cannot decide alone to have no enemies. The return of war in Ukraine serves as a stark reminder that peace must be actively maintained and sometimes defended.