Skok en sept temps is a very short collection of traditional Abenaki tales for readers of all ages. Many will be surprised by just how familiar some of the stories are and, consequently, how much overlap there can be between global traditions and cultures.
There is a great deal to be fond of in Les portes closes. It reminds me of a well-tended garden: considered, but not pretentious. It’s clear that a great deal of thought went into every word choice and yet the writing never feels overdone or self-conscious, just elegant and refined.
Roland is happily married. He lives life to the full, trying to juggle his roles as a father, a lover, an employee, a student. Then one day he falls at home. A brain tumour. He’s 30.
The first Quebec novel to draw inspiration from the massive spring 2012 student protests, Terre des cons evokes the ideological shift that can occur with the transition to middle age. Does getting older mean becoming a (grouchy) reactionary?
Wrestling, a fugitive from justice, a meat theft, banjo-playing as coyote deterrent…and how to make moonshine with Kentucky bluegrass, galvanized screws, BBQ peanuts, and a Black Sabbath T-shirt.
Stories about learning how to live, about the things that really matter, the things that connect us to loved ones and that we’re too embarrassed to ever mention again. Chaque automne j’ai envie de mourir by Véronique Côté and Steve Gagnon.
Winner, 2013 Quebec City library readers choice award.
Aïcha is 13. Before she met Baz she was always angry, burning with anger. She trailed her broken childhood around with her, trying her best to avoid her mom, old creeps, and the used needles in the park. But now she’s in love. For the first time, she can see the stars shining in the sky above her neighbourhood in Montreal. Will she get her happy ending?
If you’re the slightest bit squeamish, or a lifelong vegan, you might find yourself skimming over a few sections of this novel. Then again, you might just end up being morbidly fascinated by how close it takes you to nature. Poacher’s Faith is a tale to be savoured.
Each paragraph is a snapshot of everyday life on the reserve, a description of a photo or a memory in the narrator’s mind’s eye, the writing “soft as a partridge’s belly.” And the result is quite beautiful.
Annabelle Larousse’s translation of this François Barcelo short story is one of a collection of six to be released earlier this year. It’s typical Barcelo: dark and funny, with a nod and a wink to a very serious theme (drug abuse) along the way.
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