Author of numerous captivating novels which always hide refreshing literary surprises, Alain Beaulieu invites readers to enter his imagination by reading Solène in three acts, his new novel. It tells the astonishing life of a man forever haunted by the elusive Solène, a waitress in a Joliette bar who should never have found himself on his path, in the 1980s.
Solène in three acts is published by Druide.
Druide Editions
Solène in three acts tells the story of a man, at the beginning of his adult life, in the middle of his existence, then when he reviews his life’s journey, lost in the vapors of anesthesia.
The narrator finds himself with his friends in a forest in Lanaudière where magic mushrooms grow. The adventure turns sour when an unexpected visitor in an orange Ford Bronco pickup shows up in their thallus of miracles. In exchange for a share of the loot, the unreassuring driver takes them to Joliette. They end up in the bar where Solène finishes her shift… and agrees to give them a lift. Solène… will be there for a long time and out of love for her, he will do many things.
Alain Beaulieu is fantastic at creating a story that reads itself. He is a master in the art of skillfully playing with the structure of the novel, to the delight of readers. “There are echoes from one period to another,” he remarked in an interview.
“The reader must have known what happened when the narrator was 20 to fully understand what happens when he is 35, and to fully understand what he is talking about when he is 54 and he is on the verge of dying. I enjoyed playing with that while writing.”
And the magic happens. “It’s like a collage. Like a puzzle forming. In each chapter, I add an image, I add a piece.” The characters and the story are revealed little by little.
A love story
“Solène in three acts, It’s the story of a guy who falls in love with a girl. It’s a simple story. But she’s the special kind of girl. He will have a child with her and will always be linked, but it will never be easy, this relationship.
“There is nothing autobiographical in this story but the people who read it, those around me, recognize me. Because of the writing. Because of the way the story is told. Those who are more familiar with the world of literature will perhaps put names, or archetypes, to certain characters.
There is, among other things, a sketchy editor character… inspired by someone he has already encountered, but with whom he has never had a conflict. “At one point, the narrator is going to start a publishing house with his friends. It’s obviously linked to what I know about this environment. Otherwise… the characters appear to me and I discover what they are going to experience, at the same time as I write.
Alain Beaulieu has a subtle sense of humor and certain passages in the novel, such as a scene where young people collect magic mushrooms, are very funny. “It reminds me of my youth. I’ve never sold magic mushrooms but it’s the kind of thing that reminds me of the interactions we have, at that age, with friends.
Quebec society
It also recalls certain events, such as the death of Dédé Fortin and the Deep Purple show in Quebec in 1981, so that the characters evolve in a realistic setting.
Through the story of the narrator – never named – and Solène, Alain Beaulieu follows the evolution of Quebec society. “These are microportraits, in each chapter, of moments in Quebec society. I try to reflect the times.”
Solène in three acts
Alain Beaulieu
Druide Editions
200 pages
- Alain Beaulieu is a writer and professor at Laval University.
- Several of his novels have been cited for a literary prize, including The Interrogation of Salim Belfakir for the France-Québec Prize and The Passila Postman for a Governor General’s Prize.
- He won the Ville de Québec Literary Prize – Salon international du livre de Québec twice.
- His latest novel, Le refuge, is a finalist for the 2023 France-Québec prize.
- He is also director of the journal Le Crachoir de Flaubert dedicated to creation and reflection on creation in a university environment.
- He is also the literary director of the Alinéa collection at Éditions Druide.
“The idea of magic mushrooms was that of the great
Magnan, whom we lost sight of when his father had
moved to Alberta with wife and kids to make a move
money in dirty oil. Two days before his departure,
Magnan had given his cousin Daniel a road map on
which he had indicated the location of his thousandth tiller
treasures.
Since then, we had found a nickname for him, Magnanimous, which we
had chanted each time a handful of
mushrooms in our bags.
— Is there no mush in Quebec? I mean, you came
look for that far away.”
– Alain Beaulieu, Solène in three actsÉditions Druide
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