Courtesy of Cormorant Books
Louise Brossard has never had much to worry about. She comes from a wealthy Quebecois family, is married to a strong, successful man, and has three beautiful, prosperous children. As she approaches her golden years, however, she imagines that the outside world is becoming more unpredictable, more dangerous.
Coming to fear the world outside her home, she must face the daily prospect of something unpleasant happening to her loved ones in the great, masked outside. Louise’s fears come crashing down on her when her husband, Thomas, a Canadian politician touring Africa, disappears in war-stricken Zaire. In the midst of this tragedy, Louise is trapped by her own fears inside her house, left to fret and reminisce about her continually blurring past, piecing together how her life has reached the point of loneliness and isolation when it was once abundant with love and activity.
Spanning decades in both Quebec City and Montreal, the face of the past peaks through the seams of the story and enriches the novel with a deep history of Quebec aristocracy and politics. Told in flowing, intertwining flashbacks, Louise’s life is left bare, showing the problems that all of us must face, the fears and trials that are both recognizable and heart-wrenching in an impossible situation. Mary Soderstrom’s story thrums with tension and excitement, but also reaches deep into literary tradition, growing character and emotion over a thrilling plot.
About the Author
Mary Soderstrom was born and raised on the West Coast of the United States, but moved to Montreal as a young woman. She is the author of nine previous works of fiction and non-fiction, including the Books in Canada First Novel Award finalist, The Descent of Andrew McPherson, as well as Endangered Species, Finding the Enemy, and her most recent novel, After Surfing Ocean Beach. She currently lives in Montreal with her husband.
More information
- Author Sites:
- Book Site: The Story Behind The Violets of Usambara
- Cormorant Books | Chapters.ca | Amazon.com
Product Details
2 copies availableThis book is CLAIMED- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Cormorant Books (February 28, 2008)
- ISBN-10: 189715125X
- ISBN-13: 978-1897151259
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