Posted at 7:00 a.m.
“We had a blast. I can’t describe the laughter that we shared, Hillary and I, despite the fact that it’s a very scary story,” Louise Penny told us on the phone, from her house in Estrie.
The plot that weaves itself into state of terror is certainly not funny, indeed: it is the very incarnation of Hillary Clinton’s worst nightmare when she occupied the post of Secretary of State, from 2009 to 2013. An explosion in London, then in Paris , coded messages that make you fear a third, all this while a new administration is struggling to settle in the White House in the chaos left by the old one… Nothing is simple for the new secretary of State Ellen Adams, who must make her place in this context while seeking to enter the good graces of the president.
The two authors also take advantage of this to address the way we look at women in politics. “We’ve all seen poor Hillary Clinton give a big political speech, and all people talk about after that is her shoes, her hair, the fact that she looked tired… All the women have lived an experience of the kind where they are judged on their appearance”, underlines Louise Penny.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FLAMMARION QUEBEC
Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton during a meeting in the Eastern Townships, during the writing of the novel
Humor through suspense
Despite the “state of terror” in which we are plunged very quickly in reading, humorous notes have been sprinkled here and there and we have fun with some well-felt replies. “A bit like when you find yourself in a really stressful situation and someone says or does something funny involuntarily, exclaims the writer. We wanted to bring a bit of levity to the book; we couldn’t have one anxiety-provoking scene after another, it would have been exhausting! »
And this lightness, in her opinion, would not have been possible without the contribution of her friend and co-author.
This is an aspect of Hillary’s personality that is not common knowledge; unless you know her, we don’t often talk about how funny she is. And she loves to laugh at herself.
Louise Penny, author
She sees herself in her chair chatting with Hillary Clinton on FaceTime, imagining the – fictitious – personalities of the foreign heads of state who have found their place in the novel. Then, after the virtual discussions, it was time to write for Louise Penny, who then sent her pages to her friend before moving on to the following chapters, and so on. “Hillary took the ‘fucks’ out of the whole book, or almost. The book would have been twice as long if we had left all the ‘fucks’ in it,” she laughs.
We knew we didn’t have to [écrire ce livre]. Neither of us did it for the money; neither of us needed publicity. We got into it because we thought it would be fun. She’s accomplished a lot in her life, I’ve accomplished a lot in mine, and we were like, let’s try to do something different, but only if it’s fun. So we made it happen.
Louise Penny, author
And the reception was just as enthusiastic when State of Terror appeared in its original English version last October.
“Hillary is the first to admit that she is a divisive figure in the United States and we didn’t know how that would affect the reception of the book. But a good story always wins out, I guess. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FLAMMARION QUEBEC
Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton in a discussion during the writing of the novel
A suite ?
Will there be a sequel to the thriller or an upcoming collaboration with her friend? The characters ofstate of terror certainly have the potential to grow into new stories, in his opinion, but it’s still too early to think about that. Especially since they will no doubt be busy in the meantime, since an agreement has just been concluded to adapt the book to the big screen by granting them the role of executive producers of the film.
After a busy fall promoting the novel in the United States, Louise Penny needed to find the comfort of Three Pines in the company of her favorite investigator, Armand Gamache. Sat 18and investigation is already underway, but do not ask him when the book will be ready. “I take my time and I’m not going to put pressure on myself. I want to write with joy and freedom and creativity, and not think of a deadline. I love that. I have so much fun seeing Gamache and Three Pines again! »
state of terror
Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton (translated from English by Lori Saint-Martin and Paul Gagné)
Flammarion Quebec
528 pages (in bookstores March 9)