In the Land of Quiet Desperation

The “I” and the “we” are superimposed in a quest that is both personal and universal, aiming for a higher-level, more liberated existence, freed from its domestic obligations

Marie is lucky. She has everything. At least so it seems.One day, the excitement of the TV studio and her enviable job are no longer enough. She can't stand this life anymore. So this incorrigible researcher begins work on her most important investigative file: her own collapse, and perhaps that of so many women of her generation. Unhesitatingly, she calls into question her roman-tic relationship, work, motherhood, technology. She dives back into her memories, combs through books, digs into psychology, philosophy, and popular culture in order to understand. Marie spares not a single layer of her existence, even going so far as to delve into the depths of Quebec itself, the land of her birth.Buoyed by her discoveries, she tries to gain control of real life. Her true life. Freed from her domestic attachments.

Known for her expertise in television production, Marie-Pierre Duval has put her skills to work on programs that have left their mark on Quebec. She has been a researcher, producer, and documentary writer, and has won four Gémeaux awards. In 2017, she undertook a major life change that inspired this debut novel.