Unconditional by Louise Penny | The Press

(Knowlton) Magic. The word was on everyone’s lips at the launch of the brand new – and 19th! – novel from the famous Gamache series, by Louise Penny, organized in Knowlton on the last Saturday in October.

True to form, the author, known worldwide for her detective novels, insisted that this event, which marks the start of her promotional tour in the American Northeast, take place in her village in the Cantons-de-l’ East.

“Louise Penny’s launches usually bring together up to 1,000 people, but she loves hosting these more intimate gatherings here. So we always kept them small,” explains Lucy Hoblyn, owner of the Livres Lac Brome bookstore, who organized the meeting hosted by her husband, Danny McAuley.

The least we can say is that Louise Penny’s readers were there; not only from Quebec and Ontario, but also largely from the United States – Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Michigan, Oregon – and even the United Kingdom, who came especially for the occasion.

“It’s such a wonderful experience,” said an emotional Angela Barton, who traveled with her husband from the English seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea.

Some were far from their first visit to the region, like this Minnesota couple, Joe and Becky Kroll, who also reserved tickets for the meeting with Louise Penny planned in Toronto, 10 days later. Susan Plumkett-Dunning, who traveled from Pennsylvania, has not missed any of Louise Penny’s launches since her very first book.

There were a lot of real fans of the series, like her – including the TV adaptation – that afternoon. Nancy Pilote, who left Ottawa with her two sisters to be able to attend the event, devoured all of the writer’s novels, and even twice rather than once – a challenge she had set for herself in full confinement, during the pandemic. Among the crowd gathered, it was up to who would win the prize of biggest fans of Armand Gamache…

Cascade of laughter and anecdotes

As soon as she entered Knowlton church, where the meeting took place this year, Louise Penny was treated to a loud ovation. And as soon as the microphone was in hand, the writer took the time to thank her loyal readers.

For almost an hour, the writer spoke about her writing process, multiplying anecdotes and generating laughter in the room, while joking about the fact that it is difficult to say much about The gray wolf without disclosing anything. “One thing is certain, Gamache is in the book! “, said the author, triggering general hilarity. Then, to the question of a reader who asked her if she would write a book with Kamala Harris, as she did with Hillary Clinton, laughter and applause erupted when she responded, her eyes full of money. -understood, that she would love that.

The gray wolfwhich contrasts with the previous novels in the series with its frantic pace, more reminiscent of a thriller, is imbued with humor, as always with Louise Penny. Paul Gagné, his translator since the 10^e titre, A long returnwas on site with Louise Penny’s Quebec publisher at Flammarion Québec, Louise Loiselle. “I like the author’s humor in her novels,” he confided.

“Since the first title in French, which we called Right in the heart [en 2010]it was a seduction for everyone, underlined Louise Loiselle, who discovered Louise Penny when she was already on her third novel in the series in English. Everyone was charmed by this tight-knit community, so caring, but still having characters with quite significant flaws. »

A success that benefits the region

At Tours Three Pines, which organizes guided tours of the places that inspired Louise Penny in the Knowlton region, the enthusiasm for the community of Three Pines cannot be denied. Since mid-May, nearly 800 people have participated in the visits – not counting all those who come to discover the area for themselves.

“When we bought the company two years ago, we did a market study; the tourists who come to Three Pines generate spinoffs of $3 million for the region,” said Gilles Trudel, co-owner of Tours Three Pines with his wife, Louise Cadieux.

“She really helped put Knowlton on the map,” adds Louise Cadieux. He’s our rock star! Tickets for its launch sold out in less than four minutes, three months in advance. » As proof, fans present at the launch told us they used up to nine devices to obtain tickets or even waited online several hours in advance, using the same strategies that they used to purchase tickets at Bruce Springsteen show in Montreal.

Patricia St-Onge, who grew up in Knowlton and works as a guide for Tours Three Pines, admits that the tourists who come to visit the iconic locations of the Gamache series have changed her own view of her native region. “It’s magic through their eyes every time.” I get goosebumps when I see their smiles, the sparkle in their eyes. »

And this fervor for the world of Louise Penny is unlikely to die out any time soon, since The gray wolf was barely released when we learned that the next novel in the series, the 20^ewill be titled… The black wolf. To be continued.

The gray wolf

Louise Penny (translated from English by Paul Gagné)

Flammarion Quebec

504 pages

Visit Louise Penny’s website

Visit the Tours Three Pines website