Un thème littéraire

Proposition : He had not been back to the village for twenty years. He had thought he would recognise every house; he recognised hardly any. Where the school used to stand, a car park had been built. He stood in front of it for a long time, as if, by staring hard enough, he could have made the walls reappear. Had he come back sooner, he might have seen the old schoolmaster again. But the man must have died long ago. It's time I left, he told himself. Yet he did not move. When at last he made up his mind to get back into his car, night had fallen, and he already knew that he would never return.

Les points délicats. « Cela faisait vingt ans qu'il n'était pas revenu » : le recul au passé de « depuis », had not been back for. « Il avait cru qu'il reconnaîtrait » : pluperfect, puis futur dans le passé (would). « Là où se dressait autrefois » : used to stand, l'état passé révolu. « On avait construit » : passif au pluperfect. « Comme s'il avait pu » : as if + modal passé (could have made). « S'il était revenu…, peut-être aurait-il revu » : irréel du passé ; l'inversion had he come back convient au registre littéraire, et might have seen rend le « peut-être ». « Avait dû mourir » : déduction sur le passé, must have died, jamais had to die. « Il est temps que je parte » : it's time I left. « Il ne reviendrait plus » : would never return.