This is probably a long shot, but if anyone can answer, it’ll be a Doper. As background, in 1975 or so, I got a novel, in French, from the library mostly to see how much French I’d forgotten in the previous 3 years. As it happened, I remembered enough to get the gist of the story, but for the life if me, I don’t recall the name or the author of this book, and after all these years, I just have a vague recollection of bits of the plot. But here goes.
The main character was a single man who lived alone. One night, he brought a woman to his house - I think he picked her up hitch-hiking. I don’t remember why she was out on the road alone, but I’m pretty sure she told him her story. And she was pregnant.
I don’t remember how long she stayed with him, but I think she gave birth to a stillborn child and disappeared as the man slept one night. He considered several options for dealing with the dead child, and finally decided the best thing would be to cremate it in his fireplace.
A day or two later, he was visited by the police who found the remains and arrested him. He had been turned in by his neighbors who recognized the odor of a burning body because they’d been in or lived near a Nazi camp during the war. I think that’s how it ended.
All I remember about the book itself was that the cover was blue and it wasn’t a very big book. Helpful, huh? Does my synopsis ring a bell with anyone?