1995

What would have happened if the Yes side had won the 1995 referendum, separating Quebec from the rest of Canada? This riveting novel, 1995: Je me souviens, provides one possible answer. Narrated by Jean Tonnerre to his son Pierre, the book looks back from the year 2015 to the Quebec referendum in 1995. Jean explains to Pierre what conditions and actions made it possible for the Separatists to win that vote and what could have followed as a result. The story focuses on the fate of Jean and eleven other young men deemed "apostles of the new Quebec." Also described are such events as The Long March to Nowhere, The Time of Random Atrocities, The Unquenchable Fire, and The Advance of the Tanks. The novel explores Canadian socio-political realities and possibilities, but goes beyond them to consider the factors that make it possible for any society to function politically, socially, and economically. In effect, it is a reflection on the human condition. As Jean says in the opening lines of the book, "You do not remember, Pierre, how it was then. But me, I remember. You cannot remember, but I cannot forget."