"Remnants of White City:" Documenting the Leftovers
In the chilling world of Suzanne Aubry's novel, "All That Remains," we step into the White City - a place where it's always winter, books are forbidden, and animals become extinct. A city of suspicion, where a vivacious young girl named Bette struggles to blend in. School encourages Conformity, the museum celebrates the Mayor, and death is just another "departure," as stated in the Manual of the Perfect Citizen.
Growing up in this static universe is Bette Morin, an 11-year-old girl with fiery hair and a rebellious spirit. She lives in a house identical to others, in a neighborhood devoid of trees, and even silence seems under scrutiny. Her mother imbibes tampered milk, and her father, a biologist turned Exterminator, hunts the last remaining cats, squirrels, and pigeons. One day, without warning, he disappears.
Bette embarks on a journey to find her father, but this isn't an adventure novel or a noisy tale. The tension lies in the stubborn gentleness of an old Russian librarian, M. Glinka, Bette's defiant friend who guards hidden books in a secret vault of a forbidden building. "Every book, good or mediocre, deserves to be preserved, for it is the memory of a life," she proclaims.
Suzanne Aubry borrows certain dystopian codes - surveillance, control, censorship, erasure - and makes them accessible, sometimes reminiscent of young adult fiction without being limited to it. The construction of this post-world requires scope and narrative flexibility, which this novel's compact format only skims, at times risking shallowness.
However, we experience the world through Bette's eyes, discovering the unexpected power of everyday details: a squeaky door, the intricacies of a weed, a note written on a piece of paper slipped under the pillow. In this cold, grid-like world, there are miraculous pockets of warmth, and that's where the novel's real emotion resides. As Bette searches for her father, her quest becomes a means to gather what remains of truth, memory, and the possibility of belonging.
The writing, a balance between honesty and clarity, aims to preserve this delicate balance between tangible reality and the universe of taboos. Some secondary characters, classmates, and political leaders remain aloof, but the true heart of this fiction might beat differently. It could even beat in harmony with an unfinished manuscript, once started by the author's twin sister and later resurfaced in the form of Bette. It was then necessary to write for two.
"All That Remains" is a book that wagers on tenderness as a means of resistance.
Now, if you're looking for more insights on freedom, identity, or current weather alerts, here are some suggestions:
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- "From Rockstar to Killer": The Facets of Cantat's Crime" - Journalist Anne-Sophie Jahn deconstructs the media portrayal of Bertrand Cantat's murder of Marie Trintignant.
- Dangerous Storms and Tornado Warnings in Quebec - Environment Canada has issued alerts for wind and freezing rain, as well as several warnings for severe thunderstorms.
- To Watch on Video - Check out some interesting videos!
In this chilling novel, the arts and lifestyle come together to paint a bleak yet compelling picture of a dystopian world. Amidst the censored books and forbidden literature, Bette's quest for truth in the face of adversity becomes a testament to the power of books and their ability to preserve memories, serving as a beacon of hope in the entertainment landscape.
