“One way to the unknown” by Benoit Picard: great adventures for Rosalie and Liam

BET À DAY

Very pleased with the success of his first novel,One Way to the Unknown, which sold more than 6,000 copies in less than six months, Benoit Picard is doing it again this spring with new adventures and great quests for Rosalie and Liam, heroes of his adventures. Rosalie returns from Pakistan earlier than expected due to unusual symptoms. Her friend Clara insists that she take a pregnancy test. It turns out to be positive…and his life will change forever.

Up to the horizon
Benoit Picard
Hurtubise Editions
226 pages

Big revelation: Rosalie is pregnant with Liam, the handsome Australian met while traveling and suffering from an incurable disease. In the novel, Benoit Picard recounts the adventures of Rosalie and Liam on a trip, alternating with Rosalie's life on her return to Quebec. An eventful return since she will leave for South America with Clara, at 23 weeks of pregnancy.

Will Rosalie manage to find this man who has no cell phone, is not present on social networks and is always somewhere in the world, on the road, so as not to be seen as dying by his relatives? And if she finds him, what condition will he be in?

Benoit Picard, in an interview, reveals that he did not expect to experience so much success with his first novel. He had also written the second volume even before the first was published. 

“I wrote the sequel in parallel with the edition of the first. I finished writing it before the release of the first volume. I didn't even know if the sequel was going to be released or if the first one was going to be successful. It was a leap into the unknown!” he shares. 

Death, the present moment

In To the Horizon, Benoit also addresses fundamental themes, through Liam's illness: death, the importance of living in the present moment, what we leave behind. 

“I wanted to address how far we are ready to go to follow our hearts, to achieve our ambitions. For Rosalie, it was a new leap into the void when she decided to hit the road again.”

“For her, it was important to capture the present moment. It was important to tell ourselves that despite life, despite the obligations, this may be the only opportunity we will have. Rosalie had to leave to try to find Liam.”

The novelist adds that Liam also questioned himself, wondered if what he had done in his life was correct . “For him, it was also the present moment, in addition to facing his own fate: what is he leaving behind?”

Benoit Picard invites his readers to follow Rosalie's adventures, all over the planet. 

“Latin America has inspired me a lot, including Mexico. The Yucatan Peninsula is really a place that I loved. I have been there six times. I love the culture there. It inspired me to learn Spanish.”

• Benoît Picard lives in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli. He works at Cégep de La Pocatière.
• His first novel, Aller simple pour l'inconnu, was a great success.
• He will be present at the Quebec International Book Fair.