An Amazon.ca Best Book of 2013

Romain was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. At 18, he leaves his family for a home in the forest, learning to live off the land rather than his family's wealth. Elena flees a house of blood and mayhem, taking refuge in a monastery and later in the rustic village of Riviere-aux-Oies. One day, while walking in the woods, Elena hears the melody of a clarinet and comes across Romain, who calls himself Starling and whom Elena later renames Douglas, for the strongest and most spectacular of trees. Later a child named Rose is born. Fade to black. When the story takes up again, Douglas has returned to the forest, Rose is in the village under the care of others, and Elena is gone.

From these disparate threads, Christine Eddie tenderly weaves a fable for our time and for all times. As the years pass, the story broadens to capture others in its elegant web - a doctor with a bruised heart, a pharmacist who may be a witch, and a teacher with dark secrets. Together they raise this child with the mysterious heritage, transforming this story into an ode to friendship and family, a sonnet on our relationship with nature, and an elegy to love and passion. The Douglas Notebooks was originally published in French as Les carnets de Douglas. This edition was translated by Sheila Fischman.

About the Author
Christine Eddie was born in France, grew up in New Brunswick, and now lives in Quebec. The Douglas Notebooks, her first novel, won the 2008 Prix France-Quebec, the 2009 Prix Senghor du Premier Roman francophone, and the 2010 Prix du Club des Irresistables.

Reviews
"Eddie is an immensely gifted writer (the book was originally written in French in 2007, and has been translated by Sheila Fischman) who balances her succinct style with a poetic sensibility. Eddie understands subtlety in characterization, and her players are exceedingly real. Their actions, thoughts, desires and fears resonate with us because they're genuine, not overdone or melodramatic. Eddie conveys these things beautifully. ... The Douglas Notebooks is a subtle and deeply poignant story of a man who abandons the modern world and all its material trappings in search of the truth in nature. Perhaps, that's a wish that no one will ever be able to fully realize, but what's a fable without a little bit of fantasy?" -- Evan Davies * National Post *
"The Douglas Notebooks is a demi-dream of a novella, existing simultaneously in a world of shopping centres and fairy tales. As a fable, it is at once tender and cynical, an ever-turning wheel. ... The book itself is beautiful to look at and feels like a kinesthetic keepsake in the reader's hands." -- Amy Andersen * Scene *
"Nature's profound beauty. The healing silence of the forest. The wrenching tragedy of lives of lack and violence intersecting with those of excess and exacting expectations. Delicately crafted and carefully revealed, this is the world of Christine Eddie's The Douglas Notebooks." -- Pamela Burns * Life in Quebec *


Awards
Joint winner of Amazon.ca Best Books of 2013 2013 (Canada).



Book Information
ISBN 9780864926197
Author Christine Eddie
Format Paperback
Page Count 180
Imprint Goose Lane Editions
Publisher Goose Lane Editions
Weight(grams) 220g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 127mm * 12mm