The Nature of the Beast

by Louise Penny

Minotaur

What next? What next? What next?

The question has been on Louise Penny’s mind a lot these days.

At the end of The Nature of the Beast, Penny’s 11th book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series of mystery novels, many of her characters are on the precipice of major change: parenthood, widowhood, retirement, success, loss and, in the case of Gamache himself, a desk full of job offers.

It’s not just her characters, though. Since her beloved husband Michael was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, Penny herself has seen life take some unexpected turns.

“I’m trying to live in the moment, but also being realistic,” she says. “I’m lucky that professionally my second act, the ‘What next?’, was write crime novels, and it worked better than I ever expected. Now we have this opportunity to do what really matters.”

And what really matters is spending as much time as possible with Michael. As a result, Penny has significantly limited her author tour for The Nature of the Beast, which will released on Aug. 25. One of the few events she will be doing is here in Vancouver on Aug. 24, when the Vancouver Writers Fest and Minotaur Books present Louise Penny in conversation with Hal Wake.

After that, though, who knows what’s next?

A not-so-still life

A decade ago, Penny could not have imagined where life would take her. She’d recently finished her career as a radio broadcaster for the CBC and had left the big city — Toronto, where she’d grown up, and Montreal, where she met Michael — for the village of Sutton in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

Then, in 2005, her first crime novel, Still Life, was published.

Since then, she’s become one of Canada’s most successful authors. Her books sit atop the most prestigious bestseller lists — indeed, her previous book, The Long Way Home, debuted at No. 1 on both the New York Times and Globe and Mail lists. She’s also won numerous awards for her work, including five Agatha and five Anthony awards for best mystery novel.

“It’s 10 years since Still Life. I would never have dreamed when Still Life came out that I would be where I am now,” she says, and laughs. “Well, I fantasized about it.”

Her books feature the kind, thoughtful and erudite Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, until recently head of the homicide unit of the Quebec provincial police, as well as an engaging cast of characters that include the artist Clara Morrow, bistro owners Gabri and Olivier, and the indomitable, even monstrous poet Ruth Zardo.

Arguably, though, the greatest character is the village of Three Pines, where one is as likely to stumble upon dead bodies as one is to find perfect croissants and out-of-print novels.

“It’s all about human experience,” Penny says.

“While the geography is a character in the books, it’s all about being human. It’s about emotions. It’s about the intellect. It’s about things we all struggle with.”

‘What rough beast’

This time, it seems, a monster is on the loose in Three Pines.

The beast of the book’s title is the monster we all fear under the bed or in the cupboard. It’s the monster in art and mythology. It’s the monstrous things people and governments do to each other in the name of war and, at times, peace.

Most of all, Penny says, “the beast is ourselves.”

The story starts with a boy reporting that he’s seen a monster in the woods. Unfortunately, nine-year-old Laurent Lepage is well known for making up stories, and no one believes him — until the villagers find his battered body. But while they’re in the woods searching for the boy, they also discover a supergun, which would seem highly unlikely if it weren’t actually based on true events.

Big Babylon and Baby Babylon were a pair of giant missile launchers built in the late 1980s by a Canadian military designer named Gerald Bull and allegedly commissioned by Saddam Hussein. The project was halted when Bull was assassinated in 1990. Penny came across the story of the supergun when she was still a reporter for the CBC and says, “It’s as bizarre as I wrote it.”

It also evokes W.B. Yeats, and the lines that run throughout the book: “What rough beast, its hour come around at last, slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?”

Whatever it is, it’s up to no good.

At home in Three Pines

Along with snippets of poetry, philosophy, art and music, Penny has always woven news and historical events in with the fictional happenings in Three Pines, keeping the village tethered in reality despite its Brigadoon-like qualities.

She is halfway through the first draft for Book 12, and while she won’t reveal any plot points, she says, “What I will tell you is that a map plays a big role. Every map tells a story if you know how to read it.”

She adds: “I’m trying to make every book slightly different. The challenge and danger of writing a series is writing the same book over and over again. What needs to change is the theme and the tone.”

And she has no interest in writing a stand-alone or tackling a new series. “I love these characters and it allows me to explore everything I want to explore. I don’t feel restricted at all,” she says.

Like her characters, it seems, Penny is quite happy to take refuge in Three Pines.

“I find now that the writing is a safe harbour. It’s a place I go to that is mine,” she says. “As a caregiver, it’s so easy to lose yourself in the endless needs of the other person. I carve out that space for myself at the beginning of the day before I get too tired to think.”

These days, the only events that will take her from Michael’s side are those that help people with dementia — the Vancouver one, for instance, is a fundraiser for Paul’s Club, a local day program that helps those living with early onset dementia.

“I’m really trying to cut back because I told Michael this is our time together,” she says. “Michael knows who I am. He knows I’m not a stranger. He just doesn’t necessarily know my name.”

Despite the challenges of her latest “What next?”, Penny insists that’s she’s been lucky — and that’s not something she underestimates.

“At some stage the gods really have to smile on you,” she says. “It’s been a wonderful slow ride, so I’ve been able to really appreciate every step of the way.”

Louise Penny at the Playhouse

Fans of clever crime fiction will not want to miss this. On Aug. 24, the Vancouver Writers Fest and Minotaur Books present Louise Penny in conversation with Hal Wake. The executive director of the writer’s festival will interview Penny, who will also read from The Nature of the Beast, the 11th book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series, which will be released Aug. 25.

The event will be held Monday, Aug. 24, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at the Vancouver Playhouse at 600 Hamilton St.

Adult tickets are $25, and student and senior tickets are $23, service charges extra.

Note that proceeds from book sales at the event will go to Paul’s Club, a Vancouver day program that helps those living with early onset dementia. Donations will also be accepted at the event.

For tickets and information, visit writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny or vancouvertix.artsclub.com or call the Vancouver Tix Box Office at 604-629-8849.

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