ON THE BOOKSHELF: Roxanne Bouchard

Join me as we take a look through the bookshelves of our favourite writers, readers and book lovers - today we're talking all things books with Roxanne Bouchard.

Roxanne is the author of unmistakably distinct novels that call you to the sea and beyond. 

She says, "Before being a writer, I was always curious. I like to spy on largely unknown male universes; for example, the military and fishermen have inspired a large part of my work. I am a playwright, essayist and novelist. The novels in my detective series Moralès take place in Gaspésie – the a large peninsula in Quebec, Canada, bordered by the Gulf of St Lawrence. I meet people who inspire my characters, I hear stories that encourage investigations. I like that research with people mixes with writing, and that fiction is tinged with reality."

What are you reading now?

I have just finished Johana Gustawsson's latest novel, The Bleeding, but in I read it in French. Parts of the story are set in Quebec and Johana, whose talent I admire, asked me several questions about my part of the country, so I'm playing detective to see if everything is done right! I love the rhythm of her writing and the masterful weaving of three different periods of history. 

What are you reading next?

I am currently travelling all the way across Canada in my motorhome. I plan to listen to the audiobook of See You Up There, by Pierre Lemaitre.

What’s the first book you remember reading?

In English, the first real novel that I listened to in its entirety was The Killing Habit, written and read by Mark Billingham. The original idea was that it would help me understand English, but I was completely gripped.

What book made you love reading?

The novels of Alexandre Dumas were my obsession in my early twenties. The exceptional plots and the grandeur of the characters rocked my heart!

What book can you always re-read?

Cooking recipes written by my mother.

What book makes you cry or laugh?

In Quebec, we have a famous playwright (recognized worldwide): Michel Tremblay. His plays, including Les Belles-sœurs, centre on what happens in the kitchens of our mothers, our neighbours ... in ours. It’s somehow so personal, and it taught me that apart from including suspense, a fascinating book speaks about people, their strengths and their weaknesses. His plays always go from humorous to intimate, and this is such a fantastic technique to touch the hearts of readers.

What book do you think everybody should read?

I read Mystic River lately, after watching the film numerous times, and I learned so much
about the craft of writing from this book … creating suspense, making us care about characters, and, of course, creating darkness. A solid writing lesson and an incredibly powerful book. 

What’s the last book you wrote?

Whisper of the Seals is the third in the Detective Moralès series, and most of it takes place on the icy seas of Quebec’s Magdalen Islands, in the midst of a brutal storm … and the annual seal hunt. It’s part race-against-the-clock thriller and part locked-room mystery, with a killer at large on a sea trawler that didn’t return to shore during the storm. When I was writing this book, I wanted to talk about the choices we make and how they confine us. We are often very sure that we are right, moving forward with our certainties, but what if we were wrong? Fishery officer Simone Lord boards a boat that is going to hunt seals. In winter, far from the coast and caught in the ice, she will wonder, faced with her loneliness, if she has made the right choices. DS Moralès, too shy to contact her, may also regret it...

What are you writing next?

I'm starting to write Moralès' fourth investigation. I would like her to address the notion of territory. DS Moralès left for Gaspésie to take a quiet retirement. However, even apparently idyllic rural places can have surprises in store for us...

Whisper of the Seals, by Roxanne Bouchard is available now - published by Orenda Books and translated by David Warriner.