The Future, this year’s Canada Reads winner, at times reads like poetry. It’s written by Catherine Leroux and translated from the French by Susan Ouriou. This is especially impressive because it’s a translation. The beautiful lyrical language is what carries The Future. But in terms of plot and characters it leaves a lot to be desired.
The story takes place in an alternate version of history, in which Detroit hasn’t been ceded to the Americans. It’s a dilapidated city run by the French, and called Fort Détroit. Groups of children who have lost their families or fled their homes live in camps in one of its parks, Parc Rouge. There’s no adult supervision and the children have their child-leaders. They fight each other, look out for one another, gather food, struggle and survive.
Gloria, a woman who’s come to Fort Détroit in search of her two granddaughters, and answers to the death of their mother, her daughter, is not able to find either, and decides to venture into the park. Gradually some painful details are unearthed, but some hope and love also make an appearance and grow.
Both Leroux and Ouriou are masters of language. A description of an abandoned house’s kitchen reads, “Gloria opens the door to the pantry. A space meant for abundance, designed for generosity. Gloria breathes in the scent of brown sugar and mustard that clings out of sheer nostalgia to the flaking paint, because other than calcified stains and insect wings in the corners, these shelves have been bare for decades…On the table shadows cast by a sudden sunbeam striking the fan transform into stunning reflections. One escapes, climbs the wall and attacks the wallpaper like the flame from a lighter.”
Leroux, who in one of her interviews says she’s sensitive to dialects and how language changes depending on location, has invented a different dialect of French which Ouriou has skillfully rendered into a dialect of English. This language is used mainly in the dialogues among the children. The narrative is always in the mesmerizing prose.
Local folklore, fantasy and magic realism are used in the book. These make the book entertaining. One of the children lives in the trees and somehow flies around. There’s a stray pit bull who appears at the exact time when her help is needed and saves the day. A river suddenly starts bubbling and flowing. Despite environmental degradation, nature rejuvenates and yields crops that haven’t been planted. Houses have a way of renewing themselves.
But the plot isn’t always coherent. The motivation of certain characters isn’t clear. The characters are not very well-developed. The children, despite their telling nicknames such as Terror, Lego, Wolfpop, Bleach, at times seem interchangeable.
Although grief, guilt, isolation and fear are part of the themes, there’s also hope, help, friendship and renewal. “She will live again in that house. She will learn to live with the crucible of their transgression. In the clouded rooms she will recognize the walls and cracks, ceiling and windows. Years of fear and guilt will be overcome by years of restitution.”
If you enjoy savoring good language, The Future is worth your time.
Alternate Perspective 