Where the River Narrows

Marguerite Andersen is a professor of French studies at the University
of Guelph.

Aimée Laberge’s first novel follows four generations of a
French-Canadian family, shifting with ease from birth to death; from the
17th to the 20th centuries; and from Chicoutimi, Quebec, to London,
England, although most of the story takes place in Quebec and ends more
or less in suburban Sainte-Foy. The narrative speaks of love,
motherhood, Christian obedience, natural rebelliousness, and secrets of
the past.

The novel seems effortless, sweepingly beautiful, but it is based on
serious historical research into the centuries and their lifestyles. At
times, Where the River Narrows becomes sheer poetry, especially when it
deals with nature. There are passages of exceptional beauty.

The author, who was born in Quebec and now lives in Chicago, seduces
her readers with her sense of beauty and humour and, above all, her
exuberant imagination.