A Secret Between Us

by Daniel Poliquin, Donald Winkler (Translation)

In the fall of 1914, young Lusignan sets off for the Great War, having already survived a tragicomic Catholic childhood and a career as a disgraced author and journalist. But shortly before departing for Europe, he has an encounter with his fellow officer d'Argentuil — suave, self-possessed, both a man of the people and an aristocrat — that proves to be the defining moment in his life. Lusignan returns from the war a broken man, kept alive by a convoluted plan to reconnect with d'Argentuil by shadowing his old flame, the genteel Amalia Driscoll. Helping him in his plan are the young maid Concorde, another of d'Argentuil’s hookups, and the Capuchin monk Father Mathurin, who longs for martyrdom in a foreign land. As their lives interweave and their futures rise and fall, what emerges is a vivid evocation of an entire society in the midst of an astonishing transformation.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, France

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2006

About the author

Daniel Poliquin is a Canadian novelist and translator. He has translated works of many Canadian writers into French, including David Homel, Douglas Glover, and Mordecai Richler. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

Daniel Poliquin est écrivain et traducteur littéraire. Il est né le 18 décembre 1953 à Ottawa.

Ses romans les plus connus sont La côte de sable (1990), L’Écureuil noir (1994), L’homme de paille (prix Trillium 1998) et La Kermesse. Son essai Le Roman colonial (en anglais, In the Name of the Father) lui a valu en 2002 le prix Shaughnessy-Cohen qui couronne le meilleur ouvrage à caractère politique au Canada.

Il a traduit de nombreux auteurs de langue anglaise, entre autres, Jack Kerouac, Mordecai Richler, Matt Cohen, W.O. Mitchell et Douglas Glover.

La version anglaise de La Kermesse, intitulée A Secret Between Us, était finaliste au Giller Prize 2007, le prix littéraire le plus prestigieux du Canada anglais.

Daniel Poliquin est docteur ès lettres, chevalier de l’Ordre de la Pléiade, médaillé du Jubilé de la Reine Élisabeth, membre de l’Ordre du Canada, docteur honoris causa de l’Université d’Ottawa et chevalier de l’Ordre des arts et lettres de la République française.

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canlit journey #4. This is a great novel but it's demanding. It's written in different voices, the narrator is the quintessential untrustworthy antihero but as a tale of Ottawa before during and after World War I it is superb. Poliquin very subtly explicates the two solitudes of quebec and english Canada. I'm sure this won't appeal to all but it is an engrossing read, one that requires patient listening while reading.

[Elisabeth (Bouquins & Books)]

Truculent! Roman historique qui nous fait visiter un village mauricien et les quartiers ouvriers de la ville d'Ottawa. Les personnages hauts en couleur sont attachants. Le narrateur héro, rejeton mal aimé d'un père quasi muet et d'une mère en psychose religieuse permanente, a des rêves de grandeur qui se heurtent à sa médiocrité. Notre héro est menteur, manipulateur, profiteur, mais surtout terriblement humain. Le personnage de Concorde, née Philomène, est la véritable héroïne de ce roman, même si elle prend plus d'importance dans la seconde moitié du roman seulement. Il y a quelques petites longueurs dans les lettres qu'Amelia Driscoll envoie à Essiambre d'Argenteuil, car la plupart du temps elle lui raconte des anecdotes dont il a été témoin. De toute évidence, ces lettres s'adressent au lecteur. J'aurais aussi aimé qu'on explore un peu plus la question de l'homosexualité potentielle du narrateur. Le point tournant de sa vie semble être une relation avec un homme, mais cette question est complètement évacuée dans toutes les scènes d'après-guerre (à moins que j'aie raté des sous-entendus à ce sujet). Malgré ces deux bémols, j'ai adoré.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange novel with a narrator who is sometimes likeable, but usually not. The story meanders from Canada to the killing fields of WWI Europe and back, but most of the action takes place in Canada. The narrator experiences something of an epiphany pertaining to love toward the end of the novel, but for the most part it follows him as he self-sabotages in various ways. The episodes are unusual and unpredictable, and it is hard not to end up rooting for the man, though many of the other characters the reader encounters in the course of the narrative sometimes seem more worthy of development than he.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather interesting tale post Ww1 with some Princess Pats survivors.
The intertwining love interest carries throughout the story. Takes place in eastern Canada.

[Steven Buechler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wicked little romp of a novel.

Page 1-2:
I am the flesh made word.
A particularity that was my stock in trade when I was a journalist: secure in my role as arbiter of opinion, I overthrew governments between two morning coffees, denounced liars and rained down honours on the virtuous. In my novels it was simpler still. With circumstance obedient to my whims, women fell in love at first sight with the man I dreamed of being, and I rewrote history according to my tastes. All I needed was a credulous public for everything to be true.
When I write now, it is to beg my father for subsistence, and my only readings are the classified ads that offer work to those who lack it. I would love to make an honest man of myself, gainfully employed, but my brain mocks my dim ambitions: it continues to weave fantasies without my consent, spawning and altering universes for which I no longer have any use. My mind plays this game against my will, leaving me drained of strength. And wanting one thing only: to become one of those trivial creatures who materialize and dematerialize in my head, only to melt away during one of my periodic spells of amnesia. I must stop dreaming during the day and confine to the night those visions that vanish with the coming of dawn. For now I know that the inagination can hold freedom in thrall.

[Ibis3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this very strange book with an unreliable narrator. Before I read it, I was attracted to the reviews and summaries that talked about it being a portrait of Ottawa (my home town) but it's funny because if it's a portrait of anything, it's one of a particular neighbourhood in Ottawa that no longer exists (LeBreton Flats), but even so could be a neighbourhood just about anywhere. Almost. Anyway, I liked all the characters including the beloved Essiambre who makes women and men fall in love with him. I liked all the coincidences of people and events (which actually does seem kind of Ottawan, come to think of it--it's that kind of place; I often said it was like living in a big small town and I was almost sure to meet someone I knew when I went out) I kept waiting for something to tie it all together and reveal some larger meaning, but nothing like that happened.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the cover, I will say that. I definitely judge books by their covers when it comes to choosing them,

I feel like I might have enjoyed this book more had I read it in its original French, with full understanding, because perhaps there was something missing in translation. Because I definitely noticed a different feel, tone to the book that perhaps I'm not able to appreciate because of my language. Unfortunately, I neither had a French copy, or have the fluency to fully love this book, ...that was nominated for the Giller prize, so I must be missing out on something.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Beautiful"

A Secret Between Us is a beautiful book, to me. I was caught by surprise at how Daniel Poliquin weaved in sensitivity and tenderness in his depiction of longings, convincingly as monologues from a war veteran character who was at times lost and confused. Having recently read Claire Holden Rothman's "The Heart Specialist" which also portrays the Canadian story setting in the early 1900s (WWI) following a strong willed female character, the male protagonist in "A Secret Between Us" is a fascinating contrast.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The arrogant, unreliable narrator is a bit off-putting initially, but I found the whole cast of colourful, quirky characters - especially the charming and literally self-effacing Concorde - really drew me in as the story unfolded. The book is a fascinating examination of fidelity and love and how it can turn into obsession, but also how love can just grow and endure.

[Nina Misson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and humorous at the same time, full of pain and sadness, but life goes on. In the end hope remains, however barren it may be.
I was almost left breathless after reading the last page. It's really hard to think of anything more to say about this book rather than it was absolutely brilliant.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where do they find this dreck and why does it get nominated for national book awards? Is the translation from French this poor or is the writer trying to be artsy with the inconsistancies?

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seduction and scandal in post-war Ottawa; I struggled