A review by nomadrian
The Country Will Bring Us No Peace by Matthieu Simard

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Forty years from now there will be nothing left of us. Our memory and the photographs and the recollections of those who disappeared will all be gone, like the notes from a cello in the ruins of an old house.

(I have never written in-depth reviews, forgive me if this is all over the place!)

A very quick read, not only due to the short page length but also due to the straight-forward and pragmatic diction. I picked up this book with no sort of expectations besides that it has ominous themes and I can certainly say that it's fulfilled. Reading this feels like walking through a fog (especially with all the descriptions about the forest and rain). I did not expect this to delve into the complicated grief from the loss of a child. I can empathize with the two main characters' rocky relationship from navigating through their own grief, supporting their partner, and carrying the weight of their secrets.

I do have a lot to say about the characters and plot. I would like to preface my critique by saying that I understand this book's intent of showcasing the effects of grief with all its flaws. I can accept when a character has flaws. Hell, I'm not the type of reader that expects a character to have growth at all. However, I don't like any of the main characters, Simon and Marie. I find that the author doesn't present their personalities well, nor does he make them different enough. I find them to be pretty similar so I didn't really get to see the varying perspectives on grief.

The following spoilers will be heavy spoilers. By heavy, I mean heavy.

Their deepest secret that they keep from each other just seem to be thrown out there without any effect nor reasoning. You could argue that Simon's secret (paralyzing his former bully by hitting him) shows the way he responds to anger which can later be seen when he punches Fisher, but that's about it. How does it affect his grief? Does he deny his anger at the situation (as he continually denies that he's an angry person) and it eventually bursts, causing him to harm Marie? Marie's secret being her abortion and the fact that she still keeps pieces of her past love with her, what is that supposed to signify? I thought that the story might go with the path of Marie struggling to move on and not actually loving Simon (especially with how Fisher is introduced in the story), but that's later shown to be untrue. The secrets just seem to be there just for the sake of it.
(Don't get me started on how Simon's rape is brushed off just like that. What the hell was that for?)

I tried to focus on the relationships between each character and how they're grouped: Simon, Marie and the Lavoies (both being outsiders, the Lavoies might be Simon and Marie's family in another life?), Simon and Alice (father and daughter perhaps), Marie and Fisher (both being sexual harassers, I guess), but I don't seem to find any relevancy to the plot which is a shame. I wish that the dynamics between each characters were explored even deeper.

I ended up feeling confused by the ending. I didn't know what to make of it. I will admit that emotionally, it got me right in the feels, but once I try to rationalize it... It all crumbles down. I am still trying to figure out what happened, let alone what this is all supposed to symbolize. This town is full of people who have lost somebody. Every time a person leaves, an antenna takes their place. When someone touches that antenna, they're overcome with memories of the past and a sense of relief. The ones who touched that antenna, aka the old man and Simon, are also the ones who discover the place beyond the river that eventually drives them to suicide. So, I guess that the antennas lure those with grief, haunt their minds with the past,  drive them to suicide, and replace them with more antennas? Am I missing something? Am I just fucking stupid? I don't know. I thought they were going somewhere with the ominous antennas, unfriendly locals, and the whole "there are no secrets." Could've been a hive mind, perhaps... A Hot Fuzz situation, maybe? I'm going off the rails.


So, I wasn't a fan of the plot. It's so much more shallow than it tries to present itself as. I wish it dug deeper with all its concepts. Lean more into the otherworldly elements, flesh out the characters and relationships more. I enjoyed the writing, though, as I don't do very well with purple prose. I like the emotional rollercoaster it took me on with the twists that DID surprise me, even if I didn't like it. Many of the romantic scenes tugged on my heartstrings as well. The author (and translator) keeps the tense atmosphere up very well until the end. HOWEVER, I understand that the author wanted to have a full-circle conclusion... but I find the bulky repitition of the book's beginning corny as hell. Sorry. Keep it to a couple of lines next time.

Such a shame that this didn't live up to the hype, I really wanted this to be 5 stars!
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