Citation: Laurent, M. (2019). L’ogre et l’enfant. Bayard Canada Livres.
Dear Reader, this book contains material related to child abuse, gun violence, and grief that some readers may find distressing. The author explores these themes in sensitive and survivor-centered ways, but the content of this work may nevertheless be emotionally challenging, so self-care is advised.
L’ogre et l’enfant is a French language novel about fighting one’s inner demons. While travelling to visit his old friend Mélanie, Nathan finds his young neighbour Alice hiding in his car with a damning bruise on her face. In a race against time, the two teens risk their own safety to save her from violence at home.
Beautifully written and touching with relatable themes of self-discovery, this story comes with a trigger warning for domestic violence and grief. Laurent touches on difficult topics, creating characters who are realistically flawed yet inspiring. This is a character-driven story that simultaneously keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with fast-paced action scenes interspersed with a moving plot and a happy ending.