Bonté III was five years old. A cow at that age is at her prime. Prime is an accounting term. A dairy farm is a business and must be managed as such. From this perspective, Bonté III’s days were numbered. Numbered is not an empty word. She had been a good representative of her breed. A cow, after all, has no need to try to be a cow. Her life is that of a cow: a predetermined cycle that is easily reflected on a balance sheet. She eats. She drinks. She ruminates. She urinates. She defecates. All this has a cost. She ovulates. She bears a calf. She gives birth. She produces milk. All this brings money. [...] Tit for tat. The only thing left to do for Bonté III was to call the butcher.
The Fate of Bonté III is a story of love and loneliness with colourful characters, a reflection on life and the vital need to be useful to someone or to something.
Ce livre est publié en anglais.
Alain Poissant was born in Napierville and was raised on a farm. He is the author of Dehors les enfants, Vendredi-Friday and Carnaval. In 2005, he won the Radio-Canada literary award for his story: Un ciel bleu rose. Le Sort de Bonté III was published in 2013.
“What a beautiful story—not at all conventional! And especially, what writing!”
This original novel, brimming with unspoken truths and written with great finesse and poetry, wins one’s heart.
“This is the story of a couple… but of a couple in the making. Two lonely souls, back of beyond: a young farmer, enamoured with his land and his livestock, but wanting for affection, and a young, unemployed mother, lacking support. Something magical happens. This is a most inventive novel.”