We are spending the month in an old stone lakehouse northwest of Montreal, on the shore of Lac Louise. Not the Lake Louise, for those who may be thinking of the insta-famous turquoise waters in the Canadian Rockies of Banff National Park, but the smaller, quieter, Quebecois Lac Louise. The house is set up for family getaways with a paddleboat and kayak, snowshoes and crampons, a fireplace, and a healthy assortment of boardgames and books.
When we first arrived in Canada, I had just begun reading Still Life, by Louise Penny (another Louise!). It’s the first in a series of murder mysteries that follow a homicide detective named Inspector Gamache. The murder in this debut novel takes place in autumn, in a sleepy little village south of Quebec (very much like where we are staying). There is some underlying tension between the “English” and “French” residents as well as between the old ways and the new, but none of that could be the motive for murder. What is, though? And who done it?
This was a fast, entertaining read. The author sprinkles in a little bit of French language here and there, just a small reflection of the absolute Frenchness we have encountered where we are staying. (French is first. Everyone is conversant in both languages, but English always seems like a concession.)
The murder weapon in the story was an arrow, so bow hunting was central to the action, and I learned more about that than I ever expected to. Compound vs recurve bows, the fact that the arrow tips can be switched out easily, hunting blinds and deer trails, and of course how deadly a weapon a bow and arrow can be.
There were also a generous quantity of Quebecois food references, including ham and cheese on brioche, warm croissants, Tim Horton’s coffee, and PizzaPizza, all dressed. Still Life would pair well with a steaming bowl of venison stew.
And then, … as I was finishing Still Life, I started working a jigsaw puzzle since there were several on the shelf and a large empty table. I often do puzzles on my iPad and I had forgotten how much more challenging a puzzle is when the pieces aren’t all oriented face-up and rotated in the correct direction! But I’m enjoying this little bit of analog entertainment, so I’m thinking of selecting a book off the shelf of our Airbnb to read during the remainder of our stay.
All of the titles are in French, though, except for a romance novel, a couple of self-help books, and Miracle in the Andes, which I kind of want to save for our trip to Chile next year. I think I may need to find out whether Lily ends up with the hot neurosurgeon or with her high school sweetheart.
