Querelle of Robertval tells the story of a millworkers’ strike in the northern lumber town of Roberval, Quebec. As the strike drags on, tensions start to escalate between the workers. When a lockout renews their solidarity, they rally around the mysterious and magnetic influence of Querelle, a dashing newcomer from Montreal. Strapping and unabashed, likeable but callow, by day he walks the picket lines and at night moves like a mythic Adonis through the ranks of young men who flock to his apartment for sex. As the dispute hardens and both sides refuse to yield, sand stalls the gears of the economic machine and the tinderbox of class struggle and entitlement ignites in a firestorm of passions carnal and violent. Trenchant social drama, a tribute to Jean Genet’s antihero in Querelle of Brest, and a brilliant reimagining of the ancient form of tragedy, Querelle of Roberval, winner of France’s Marquis de Sade Prize, is a wildly imaginative story of justice, passion, and murderous revenge.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW 

Interesting tale that combines small town politics and gossip, with a dose of murder and making out. Readers beware that this story can take a twist at any moment in time. So while you’re wrapped up in the latest strike action or unionized activities, you’ll soon be hearing of the wild, and vivid, sexual escapades of the charming young and horny Querelle. Without giving too much away, just have an open mind when it comes to the sexual antics that includes everything from threesomes and bondage to necrophilia. The narrative style of the author makes for a well-versed novel, and he provides a personal anecdote on page 137 that also warns that the remainder of the book maybe shocking to some. So you’ve been warned, now go ahead and read this!

Winner of the Marquis de Sade Prize. Available from Biblioasis.

Kevin Lambert (1992) grew up in Chicoutimi, Quebec. He earned a master’s degree in creative writing at the Université de Montréal. His widely acclaimed first novel, You Will Love What You Have Killed, was a finalist for Quebec’s Booksellers’ Prize. His second novel, Querelle of Roberval, won France’s Marquis de Sade Prize, and was a finalist for the prestigious Prix Médicis and the literary prize of the Paris newspaper Le Monde. In Canada, Querelle of Roberval won the Prix Ringuet of the Quebec Academy of Arts and Letters, was a finalist for the Grand Prix du Livre de Montréal and won or was a finalist for six other literary prizes. Kevin Lambert lives in Montreal.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.