The Harmattan Winds

Quebecois author Trudel offers an ode to the power of imagination in his lyrical and enigmatic English-language debut. The narrator, a young boy named Hugues Francoeur, was found abandoned by the side of the road as an infant in rural Quebec. His best friend, Habéké Axoum, was adopted from an unnamed African country after his birth family were killed by famine. Together, the preteens seek a lost paradise they call Ityopia. Their adventures begin with innocent mischief, such as an invented marriage ceremony based on details of African rituals gleaned from an encyclopedia, during which they get naked and cover each other in “magic liquid” including their own blood. Their escapades become more extreme when Habéké’s attempt to conjure a lost ancestor causes a fire and severe burns, putting him in the hospital for two weeks. There, Habéké meets a dying girl, Nathalie, and the boys eventually abduct her. They plan to cure her with their magic, a scheme that sets the stage for the novel’s disastrous and deadly finale. Trudel sustains a dreamy mood and brings his characters to vivid life. It’s a singular tale of trauma diverted into obsessive fantasy. (Apr.)