Holly Goli, blogger And contributor of the 20 Minutes Books reading group, recommends The bear’s last sleep of Sophie Jomain, whom she interviewed. His novel was published on February 28, 2023 by Éditions Charleston.
His favorite quote:
– Know what ?
– That I don’t regret having been who I was, but that I regret that you suffered from it. »
Why this book?
- Because this novel explores mother-daughter relationships. Abigail, the heroine, returns to Alaska with a mother she never got along with. We will follow her evolve in the house of her childhood with a mother who refuses to go live with her in France. We’re going to see these two women that everything opposes confront each other before getting closer. It’s sometimes hard but so touching and moving.
- Because the landscapes are breathtaking! Sophie Jomain sets her story in a small town totally cut off from the world where the inhabitants help each other. We travel to Alaska from beginning to end and we have only one desire: to discover these beautiful landscapes.
- Because the novel speaks of the mother-daughter relationship but also of motherhood. The author’s pen is accurate, beautiful and above all, she immerses us in a cocoon that makes you want to stay longer with her characters.
Sophie Jomain, how did you come up with the idea for this novel?
A few years ago, National Geographic launched a multi-season documentary series called “Alaska: Alone in the World.” They were following the Port Protection community. About thirty inhabitants live in total autarky in Southern Alaska, at the extreme north of Prince of Wales Island. These people feed exclusively from fishing and hunting and live according to the climate and nature. I was captivated by their way of life. When the J’ai lu editions asked me to participate in a collection of post-confinement short stories “Quick air, quick green! », and which was to highlight the need to regain freedom, I chose Port Protection as the setting. As for the subject of mother-daughter relationships, it had been in my mind for a long time, so it came naturally. It is in this context that I created Abby and Emma, a mother and her daughter who would find themselves after 17 years of voluntary separation.
What is your writing process? Do you do extensive research in advance? Or do you let inspiration come and write as you go?
I’ve written twenty-seven novels, and I’ve matured over the years. Before I could write with minimal prep work, everything was in my head, perfectly drawn. Today is very different. I write a very precise synopsis, I prepare a breakdown, I make character sheets, a list of everything I would like to see in this story and I start. The first five chapters come to me pretty quickly. Then I stop, I review, change, refine my synopsis as many times as necessary. It is a reassuring way that also allows you not to forget anything. And then there is all the research work. It took me a year to write “The Bear’s Last Sleep”, because the story didn’t take place in my home, not in a country I knew. I immersed myself in the atmosphere of southern Alaska, of Port Protection. Not only have I never set foot there, but to tell you about it with such precision, I had to get out of my comfort zone, for me who never writes about places I don’t know, and that I do titanic research. There may still be small errors here and there, but my descriptions had to be as close as possible to the truth of this place that inspired me so much.
“The Bear’s Last Sleep” explores the mother-daughter relationship. Is this an important theme for you?
“The bear’s last sleep” comes from my view of our society. I made the choice to become a mother late and when my daughter was born it was a revelation, but over time I also realized that motherhood, in our society, is often associated with the obligation to to procreate, as a duty, an immutable and indisputable heritage: a woman would be made to be a mother. There is nothing more false. Being a mother is not as instinctive as you think. Around me, many acquaintances were not fulfilled in their role of mother, which can cause heartbreaking family conflicts. This is how I wanted to exploit these sometimes tense relationships, in “The Bear’s Last Sleep”, more particularly between a mother and her daughter. For what ? Because the relationship between a mother and her daughter, despite love, can be complicated, even if it does not necessarily end in excess. When we grow up, we sometimes come up against our mothers, their ideas, their certainties. We have a family heritage that we may not want to reproduce. This is where the relationship gets complicated. A desire to do otherwise for one, a disavowal for the other. A chasm sometimes. But the message also in “The Last Sleep of the Bear” is above all that no matter where we come from, our roots are deeper than we think. We need them to understand who we are, to grow and move forward. To know “why?” “.
What words to qualify “The last sleep of the bear” and convince your future readers?
“Roots”, “change of scenery” and I will say “sorry”, because Abby and her mother need to forgive each other.
The essentials in 2 minutes
The plot. Abigail returns to Alaska when her father dies. Her goal is simple: bring Emma, her mother with whom she does not get along, to France. But Emma refuses to leave. They will have to live together and get to know each other to forgive each other…
Characters. Abigail, Emma but also William the doctor and the inhabitants of Eagle Bay.
Places. The novel takes place in Alaska, in Eagle Bay, on Prince of Wales Island.
The time. The novel takes place in our time.
The author. Sophie Jomain has written more than twenty novels ranging from fantasy literature to comedy and contemporary novels. She is now an essential figure in literature in France.
This book was read with lots of strong emotions. I was overwhelmed by the relationship between the two characters. It’s a story between a mother and her daughter, a story based on suffering and things left unsaid but which shows that we can forgive everything and enjoy every moment together. To discover !
To buy this book on Amazon
Do you want to recommend a book that you particularly liked? Join our community by clicking here