Novel about the passage of time

I read this novel by the author Quebecois Gilles Archambault, who wrote about Dino Buzzati, "That life has no meaning, you've seen it better than anyone. The passage of time, the futility of all, vertigo, you described them at will. (...) Because of you I have suffered less. "

Buzzati talking about all these things in The Tartar Steppe. Its protagonist, Giovanni Drogo, is a young officer who began his military career in a very secluded overlooking a vast desert. The garrisons assigned to this strong need to protect their country against a Tartar invasion which seems extremely unlikely. The weeks go by and nothing happens. Drogo delights in the routine of the fort, while wondering if he should not do more of his life.

The novel makes us think about our own choices: take an ordinary but safe living or swing to accomplish something meaningful. Perhaps choose one option or the other is it unimportant.

In my view, the French translation is successful, especially in the first forty pages where style seems particularly supportive.