Juice squeezer | Love without rushing

This is a first collaboration for Valérie Chevalier and Matthieu Simard, and not the least. With Juice pressthe two authors sign a pretty novel scented with rose water and above all constructed by four hands. Hold on tight: in the form of an epistolary exchange. Yes, like in the old days.

It sounds deliciously retro said like that, and it is. It all begins when a certain Noah writes a letter to Santa Claus one day. So far, nothing unusual, even if his prose seems a little too inspired for a 4-year-old. The elf called Pauline answers him. Then, Noah’s father, Hugo, officially takes up the pen and continues. Pauline too. And so on.

The adventure, which may seem taken straight from another era, is nevertheless well anchored in the present. Up to one original and, let’s say, distinctive (!) detail. And it’s as delightful as it is sewn with white thread: for a year, no less, the two unlikely correspondents will get to know each other here. They will reveal themselves quietly, through jokes, then flirting, more or less subtle, twists and turns included.

From time to time, they will also ask themselves several deeper questions about life. If you had a magical power to change one thing about your life, what would it be? A song that would best describe your life? Note the shift from “you” to “you,” which gently but surely suggests a growing intimacy over time.

“I wanted a four-handed book because I’m a fan of epistolary exchanges,” confides Valérie Chevalier (The fitted sheet theory, The din of possibilitiesetc.), met with his co-author, correspondent and now friend, Matthieu Simard, to talk about their fun creative project.

He still had to find a counterpart, someone with whom the form could somehow marry the substance. Hence the choice of Matthieu Simard (Love failures and other nonsense, The writingsetc.), for several reasons, starting with the fact that she only knew him by name. “My idea of ​​an epistolary exchange could only be with a collaborator that I don’t know, or barely know. I didn’t want it to be orchestrated! she argues. However, I am also a fan of Matthieu, I like his writing, I have read him a lot and I appreciate his work. »

As we will have understood, the two co-authors therefore learned to know each other here at the same pace as their two characters, Pauline and Hugo. But no, if you want to know everything, they didn’t fall in love in real life, they confirm with a laugh. “But we became very good friends! », continues Matthieu Simard, who immediately liked the idea, the angle and the approach of the project, and the unprecedented creative work involved. “It’s great fun: starting from nothing, with someone I don’t know, but whom I admire. »

Both have deliberately invented characters who are both close and far from them. Hugo is “a romantic at heart”, a bit like Matthieu Simard, “a sensitive guy who likes to play with words and life”, while Pauline “cultivates beauty”, like Valérie Chevalier. “But the rest of the character is further from me! I drew a lot from my existence in my writing (Vagrant certainties), I wanted to have fun creating a character! »

They then let themselves be carried away by the rhythm of the exchanges (by email, for their part!), consulting each other from time to time, and meeting only on rare occasions during the entire creative process, which nonetheless lasted almost nine months. Otherwise, they literally “played the game”, a bit like their characters, that is.

Apology for slowness

Certainly, it was quite a gamble, which could have gone nowhere, or gone straight into a dead end. They are very aware of it. “But we have universes that can fit together,” argues Valérie Chevalier. “We have a similar sensitivity,” adds Matthieu Simard. Then, was it going to work? It went very well, it even wrote itself! »

Obviously, they were on the same wavelength, the exercise was fun for them, and it showed. It must be said that the highlight of their story lies precisely in its form, unique and a bit outdated, and the imposed stopped time. An otherwise unthinkable affair, especially not by text message, it should be noted.

“There is something fun in their exchanges which is time: the time which passes between letters, and the time which allows something to be built slowly,” confirms Matthieu Simard. I think it’s an apologia for this idea of ​​taking your time in developing relationships. To say the right things. Open up more. »

Valérie Chevalier agrees: “This is where the connection is created, the more intimate bond,” she concludes. Because that’s where we can share who we are, in authenticity. » Does this mean anything to you? Know that our new accomplices are already thinking… of a sequel!

Valérie Chevalier and Matthieu Simard will be at the Book Fair for signing sessions on Saturday, November 30 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sunday 1^is December from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Consult Valérie Chevalier’s file

Consult Matthieu Simard’s file