Of the 6 books from Chroniques du Plateau Mount-Royal series by Michel Tremblay Des
nouvelles d'Edouard is my favorite. It is a striking book. When I took it in my hands after having read the previous
three I thought this
one would be another charmingly busy multi-figure anthropological canvas
describing life in a certain area of Montreal. And the book indeed
begins as expected. However soon it takes a completely different turn,
changes genre and becomes a book on a solitary journey of
self-discovery with most of the action taking place actually outside of
Montreal and outside of the continent altogether.
I found Dany Laferrière's L'Énigme du retour fascinating. What caught my attention from the beginning was its form. I am not sure it's truly a "novel" ("roman"), I thought it was more of a long poetic essay. The combination of free verse and prose is enchanting. The subject was also very new for me, as I know so little about Haiti. And as any good book would do, this book made that previously obscure to me country somewhat closer. What made this book especially captivating were the common points I have with the author. The narrator's complex relationship with his own past, national identity and time in general are all issues that I can relate to.
