"A coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of a 'near-death experience,' but above all, a work overflowing with life, love, and resilience."
——Noovo

"Mélissa Perron's new work is thought-provoking. It forces us to re-examine everything and acknowledge that we are sometimes too quick to judge. Is one human life truly more precious than another?"
——Artichaut Magazine

"This newly published coming-of-age novel discusses death with a bright and delicate touch, revealing a profound love for life."
——7 jours

"The afterlife imagined by the author is utterly enchanting, revealing a universe full of mysteries and momentous events. Once again, we bow to her immense talent and healing sensitivity, and marvel even more at her graceful ability to let us discover new things."
——Folie urbaine

★Longlisted for the Prix littéraire France-Québec.
★Will Forrest, a 32-year-old coffee shop waiter, is struck by a bullet in Old Cat Alley. A man who previously had almost no story to tell is suddenly faced with death. Will is thrust into a soul-searching journey akin to a "near-death experience," where past and present, reality and symbolism intertwine: flocks of white geese rising and falling over a mirror-like lake become the imagery guiding him back through his life.
★A life-affirming love letter to the ordinary "little people": as the white geese beat their wings across that untouchable, smooth lake, Will must decide whether to remain immersed in family tragedy or let his return become the catalyst for taking flight once more.

Will Forrest was a young man with almost no story to tell. His mother, Suzie, was a drug addict who never allowed him to call her "Mom" because his features bore too much resemblance to the man who had hurt her. Raised primarily by his grandmother, Will grew up with his face numbed by the cold in an apartment that felt like a never-ending "Woodstock," sleeping with an air rifle in his arms—because who knew what might happen?

At thirty-two, he had finally escaped the clutches of poverty, working as a server at Café Laurent with a decent income. Although his greatest achievement remained the "Will Sandwich" named after him—half a baguette that was attractive, delicious, and cheap—he felt he still had a lifetime ahead of him to reverse the fate of the Forrest family: that long chain of destitution. Moreover, he had friends and he had Lou—the girl who gave him his first taste of the present, and even the future.

But Will was wrong. On December 23rd, the past caught up with him: in Old Cat Alley, his trajectory intersected with a bullet. Yet, how could he die? He was the protagonist of this novel, and the story had only just begun.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in a parallel universe, a great flock of white geese occasionally descended and then took flight, skimming across a lake—the surface of which was so exceptionally smooth that nothing could disturb it.

Mélissa Perron

A multi-talented creator from Quebec, Canada: novelist, painter, illustrator, podcast host, and speaker. She has long lived at the foot of the mountain where she was born, embracing the life creed that "everything is possible."

At the age of 38, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This experience prompted her to incorporate the experience of neurodiversity into her novels and graphic novels, and to share the topic of "Women and Autism" through her lectures.