I am a truck by Michelle Winters The Miramichi Reader

Once again, I am grateful for Consumed by Ink’s superb coverage of the books on the 2017 Giller Prize list. Here’s another one that Naomi allowed me to take an excerpt from. Author Michelle Winters is originally from New Brunswick and now lives in Toronto.

Trucks play a big part in this story of a rural Acadian couple who have been together for almost 20 years. The only thing Réjean seems to love more than his wife, Agathe, is his black Chevy Silverado.

The Silverado was reported sitting next to the highway with the driver-side door open just eight hours after Agathe had kissed Réjean on the front step of their cottage and sent him off fishing in the rain with a Thermos full of coffee, four sandwiches au bologne, and a dozen date squares.

Agathe noticed that Réjean had been acting out of character lately, but she had just thought he was planning a surprise for their 20th anniversary. To Agathe, and to the reader, they appear to have a solid marriage. In fact, they feel so close to each other that they choose to hole up alone in their out-of-the-way cottage, holding onto their French language, despite the fact that they are now living in an English town.

Being separated by language from the world around them strengthened their bond of exclusivity. Gradually, they retreated from the world altogether, existing solely for each other in the confines of their home. “Il n’y a que nous.” (“It’s just us.”)

When you’re that close for that long, what do you do when one half of you disappears?

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