This novel by Scotiabank Giller Prize nominee Pascale Quiviger is about the bonds of friendship; the ties between mothers and daughters; the act of creation itself. It's a magical, intricately wrought work of art that reveals layer upon layer, nuance upon nuance.

On a sparkling spring day a young woman finds the house of her dreams, complete with a charming garden and windows overlooking the sea. She immediately decides to move in. At first she is happy in her solitude, but soon strange events start to occur. The young woman gradually realizes that her perfect house is mirroring back to her certain shocks and surprises from her past. Seeking to control the situation, she begins to create an imaginary set of woman friends to keep her company, each of them fully unique, each the expression of a deep desire to survive.

In this beautiful and moving novel, Pascale Quiviger gives us yet another perfectly realized and powerful tale.

Pascale Quiviger was born in Montreal. She holds both a Master’s degree in Philosophy and a degree in Fine Arts. She lives in Italy, where she paints, writes and teaches visual arts. She has exhibited in both Canada and Italy, and has published a collection of short stories, Ni sol ni ciel (2001). Her novel Le cercle parfait won the 2004 Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction in the French Language; the English edition, A Perfect Circle, translated by Sheila Fischman, was a finalist for the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Pascale Quiviger's profile page

Lazer Lederhendler is a full-time freelance translator specializing in contemporary Québécois fiction and nonfiction. His work has earned him many distinctions in Canada and abroad, including multiple nominations for the Governor General’s Literary Award, which he won in 2008 for the translation of Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner. He is also the translator of Gaétan Soucy’s novel, The Immaculate Conception, which was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award for French to English translation, and the winner of the Cole Foundation Prize for Translation awarded by the Quebec Writers’ Federation. Lazer Lederhendler lives in Montreal. 

Lazer Lederhendler's profile page

Loose yourself in this story, you won't want to let it go.

salon

Quiviger provides calmness at the end of both stories, a cleared space, an opening toward our own future.

Literary Review of Canada

Quiviger ties the different threads of the narrative together masterfully, while creating memorable characters both real and imagined. Five strong women are brought to life with poetic prose that is a pleasure to read.

The Review