Guernica Editions

Sylvie Chaput has cleverly breathed life into facts, statistics and events which, in less skillful hands, would have been dry and bland. She weaves a love story through the dreadful years in the Quebec of the 1830s, when cholera decimated the population, rebellion and revolt were the order of the day, newspaper offices were pillaged and burnt and the English attempt to restore order was not of the subtle variety. Throughout the book, the theme of painting is pervasive and serves as a source of permanence in a changing and often violent world. In a brilliant touch at the end of the narrative, we learn that even death could not obliterate what love has wrought