Winner of the Robert-Cliche prize for the first novel in 1982, Chrystine Brouillet entered the literary scene with Dear neighbor (Typo), detective story that lays the foundations for the work to come: a quiet neighborhood, murdered women and an ordinary woman, Louise, who seeks to discover the truth.
“When I do youth, there is adventure. When I did Room 1002, which was a novel about friendship, there was a detective story. The trilogy Marie LaFlamme Although historic, there were twists and lots of murder. I like detective novels and I like action. I don’t just read detective novels, but I’m happy when I find characters. Every time a Donna Leon comes out, I look forward to seeing Brunetti again. I’m good in there, this universe pleases me. I will continue to make detective novels, ”assures Chrystine Brouillet.
Forty years later Dear neighbormore than fifty books to her credit and more than 850,000 copies sold, the novelist is launching one lessthe 20e investigation of Maud Graham, her favorite character who appeared in 1987 in The poison in the water (Denoël, Lacombe) — which took place in Rivière-du-Loup and not in Quebec like the following volumes.
“Wow! I am a veteran! she says laughing. I don’t like getting old, but on the other hand, I’m lucky to be alive. Not everyone makes it to 64. I started young and was really productive. I did that. The first years were difficult, but I persisted. It was that or the restoration… which explains why there is always a bit of gluttony in my novels. These are the fun times to write. »
Moreover, like the adventures of Asterix and Obelix, one less ends with a feast where Maud is surrounded by the men in her life, Alain, Maxime and Grégoire. However, this moment of joy and sharing is preceded by an investigation into a feminicide during which Maud discovers the phenomenon of involuntary celibates who spit their hatred of women in the dark web. Camped from 2017 to 2021, the novel echoes not only the feminicides of recent years, but most of Maud Graham’s investigations.
“Many more women in my novels died than men simply because we are more often victims of this kind of violence, notes the one who reread the 19 investigations of Maud Graham before embarking on the 20e. The statistics are there. When it’s men who are murdered, it’s often armed violence, but domestic violence, rape, incest, it’s mostly women who are the victims. When I started writing, I felt like things were going to get better. I was naive, huh? »
Pandemic Diary
Chrystine Brouillet confides that it is because of the pandemic that she has delayed the writing ofone less. Fearing that Maud Graham’s investigation was out of step with the reality of the pandemic, she therefore preferred to publish His word against mine (Druid). From the start of the pandemic, however, she made it a point of honor to record the smallest elements in a diary.
“I knew I had to keep a pandemic diary so that I could remember the details because it was obvious that we were going to remember or be able to find on the Internet the date of the first confinement, the first vaccine, but the details everyday, we forget them. Reading it again, I noticed that on March 18, I had written that there was going to be more and more violence, murders, marital problems, and that feminicides were going to skyrocket. »
The names of the women murdered by their spouses from January 16, 2020 to June 15, 2021 appear during the investigation: “Yes, and when I wrote the end word, I could have added lots of other names, but I I didn’t do it because I really stayed in the novel. What was strange was that at the time I was writing there were other feminicides. I turned on the TV and that was what I saw. I had already discussed domestic violence in six minutes and other novels, and I thought I had done the trick, but no, there was still something to say. »
At the heart ofone less is Ian-Patrick, a bachelor who suffers from being an ordinary guy in the eyes of many, especially those of his brilliant colleague Claire, to whom he has a boundless hatred. Like many of the male characters encountered in Chrystine Brouillet, Ian-Patrick holds his mother responsible for all his misfortunes.
“It always takes a culprit, and in these cases, the mothers are the designated culprits. It’s a situation that is very close to what I was going through when I was writing Marie LaFlamme, where the witches were responsible for everything because it took culprits. The woman crystallizes sin. When you are in ignorance, you are afraid. It is the same with the fear of strangers; racism is ignorance and fear. This attitude of some men comes from their fear of women. They are also afraid in a subterranean way of the men who rob them of these women; they are against alpha males. »
reunion
Created in response to the female clichés abounding in detective novels, Maud Graham was not destined for such a long career: “I was not supposed to do a series. The poison in the water worked well for a first novel. For me, this novel, which can no longer be found, is like a rehearsal in the theatre. I had grown attached to Maud Graham, but she didn’t appear until halfway through the book. For me, the true birth of Maud Graham is with Do you prefer icebergs?, which takes place in Quebec and where she is much younger. Moreover, while re-reading the novels, I noticed that we see Quebec change there. I find it the fun that my work testifies to the city, to its changes. »
If, over the novels, readers have become attached to Maud Graham’s colleagues, they will no doubt be delighted to reconnect with characters involved in other investigations, including the colorful Betty Désilets and the endearing Vivien Joly.
“That was a wink for the 20e. When re-reading the series, I really wanted to refresh my memory — honestly, I didn’t remember much! — and I thought I was tempted to take Betty back. Checking the dates, I saw that she could get out of prison. We had heard from Vivien, but since he’s one of Maud’s favorites, he had to come back. I liked reconnecting with old characters, but it’s a challenge. I would have liked to bring François back, but it didn’t work. There are characters I love but can’t bring back. I will create more. »
Which therefore means that for Maud Graham, retirement is not for tomorrow: “She doesn’t talk about it anymore, but it’s sure that she will take it at some point, but Maud will come back, I don’t want to not stop at 20e. And when Maud retires, she’s sure to get involved in Maxime’s investigations! »