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Today, “L'octopus et moi” by Hortle Erin, published on May 6, 2021 by Éditions Dalva.
Cathy Borie, author and contributor to the
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Books
reading group
, recommends
Hortle Erin's
L'octopus et moi
, published on May 6, 2021 by Éditions Dalva.
Her favorite quote:
“I was fed up with the stupid lies. And then I just wanted to help her, the octopus. I think I just wanted to be able to act on something. "
Why this book?
Because Dalva is a very new publishing house,
which only publishes authors, and this original title is a great way to discover it because it really does what it promises!
Because octopuses seem strangely familiar to us,
benevolent and human, despite their appearance so far removed from ours.
Because Erin Hortle's writing is so sensitive that we put on
the skin of every character: the octopus, the seal, Lucy, and feel everything she describes, the waves, the cold water, the the smell of puffin baby vomit, the tattoos on her skin.
Because Lucy is an eminently endearing character
who can only resonate with us, no doubt for different reasons, but always with intense emotion.
Because the question of the entanglement of human life
and animal life is a theme that deserves reflection, and that it is treated here in a raw, direct, sensual way.
The essentials in 2 minutes
The plot.
The story of a woman in full question after a painful ordeal intersects with that of an octopus which seeks to reach the Pacific to lay its eggs.
Or how wild life can resonate in our human life.
Characters.
The octopus ;
Lucy, the wife;
Jem, Lucy's companion;
Flo, Lucy's friend;
Harry, son of Flo;
the seal (a female).
Places.
Tasmania, an island in southern Australia.
The time.
Nowadays.
The author.
Erin Hortle, professor of literature at the university, passionate about the ocean and ecology, lives in Tasmania.
This is his first novel.
This book was read with
great emotion, as if I had experienced this proximity with octopuses in another life!
Buy this book on Amazon
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