A graduate in creative writing, Toronto’s Pamela Korgemagi is said to have had the inspiration for her first novel when she saw a female cougar on television leading her kittens to the river. “La Fauve raised this litter with a detachment induced by the loss of her first babies. The memory of her stolen kittens came to the surface when she least expected it, she knew she could lose them just as easily. »
Alternating between the point of view of La Fauve, cougar of the Canadian forest, and that of Joseph Brandt, son of the village blacksmith and motherless, The hunter’s promise takes place at the beginning of the XXe century, when the villages were expanding to the detriment of the forests. At the time when wild animals were the subject of many legends in villages where the art of hunting was barely mastered.
“Don’t venture too far. It’s a safe bet that the Creature is prowling around. Where and when Joseph had taken wind of the Creature’s existence, he could not remember. To believe that he had always known the legend, that she had grown up with him. People spoke of her only in low voices, as if she could hear everything that was being said behind her back. »
Avoiding Disney-like anthropomorphism or infantilizing animal documentaries, Pamela Korgemagi takes the reader inside the head of the female cougar in order to demonstrate the way of life of the big cats of America, who must fight among themselves for their survival, going so far as to devour each other. Following her over her litters and her deer hunting parties, the novelist signs a thrilling and ruthless adventure story that highlights the danger that man represents for the animal kingdom while civilization increasingly threatens nature.
“There were dozens of little white sheep there, swarming between the four walls of the barn, agitated by his presence. La Fauve fell into a trance. She had never seen anything like it, a whole group gathered in a small space. »
From the cradle to the grave, the author follows the evolution of Joseph who, like Captain Ahab for Moby Dick, will become totally obsessed with the Beast over the course of a touching family story against a backdrop of conflict between generations: “In truth, Joseph was not obsessed with killing all the little animals, as his father feared. He only had one trophy in mind. »
A dazzling novel on the human/animal dualism with powerful dreamlike passages, The hunter’s promise reaches its climax when Joseph comes into contact with nature, going so far as to imitate the behavior of a wild cat, in order to find the Beast. Featuring rich descriptions of forest and wildlife, Pamela Korgemagi’s novel could not have fallen into better hands than translator Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba (Encabanée, Waterfowl, BivouacXYZ), whose great love for nature can be seen in his desire to celebrate all its beauty through the poetry of carefully chosen words.