« Every now and then, a novel that is as solid as steel lands in readers’ hands. A novel that needs the right proportion of its own hardening agents to deliver on the page. The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1-19 is such a book … Brown’s prose is astonishing. »
The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1 to 19
Dree, 15 ans, rêve de fuir Edmonton pour Toronto et son Renegade Craft Fair. Mais quand son père meurt soudainement, elle découvre des secrets familiaux et nineteen créatures en chaussettes nommées Marcel.
Her hands lay inert and upturned on her lap - probably stunned, she thinks, by the hideousness of the skirt underneath them. Centre seam puckered, zipper mangled, it's handmade in a way that makes people say, 'Did you sew that yourself?' when they mean, 'How can you wear that thing?' But she made it the day after he died, and she talked to him in her head the whole time. Which is why it looks like hell and why she had to wear it anyway.
Biology is not Dree's thing. Equally heinous are English, Social Studies, her sister and mother, not to mention Edmonton in general. Toronto is where she belongs - specifically the upcoming Renegade Craft Fair.
Mercifully, escape is imminent: on her fifteenth birthday, she will get the special fund her father promised, and the day after that, she'll be on WestJet Flight 233 to Toronto. Instead, her dad has a fatal heart attack, and all she finds are clues leading to the ominous Alberta Psychiatric Hospital where her parents once worked.
Along the way: two fires, a family scandal, nineteen sassy sock creatures named Marcel, a new friend, a mystery, a stepmother who's maybe sympathetic after all, the unceasing misery of school and the search for a proper way to grieve a father.
Instructions for renegade crafts and associated illustrations included.
`Every now and then, a novel that is as solid as steel lands in readers' hands. A novel that needs the right proportion of its own hardening agents to deliver on the page. The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1-19 is such a book ... Brown's prose is astonishing.'
Vancouver Sun
`In this debut ... Jocelyn Brown transcends ... genre with a novel of depth and texture, rich with incident and very contemporary dialogue. She takes her readers deep into the complicated psyche of her narrator and heroine (yes, that's the right word), which is, as it turns out, exactly where her readers will want to be, richocheting from one OMG to another.'
- Globe and Mail
'This novel is about as strangely and intricately knotted as one of Dree's craft creations, and as hilariously fascinating.'
-Quill and Quire
`Brown's complex characters, unusual narrative style and fabulously quirky dialogue make this a fun book with layer after layer to uncover.'
- Geist Magazine
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Biology is not Dree's thing. Equally heinous are English, Social Studies, her sister and mother, not to mention Edmonton in general. Toronto is where she belongs - specifically the upcoming Renegade Craft Fair.
Mercifully, escape is imminent: on her fifteenth birthday, she will get the special fund her father promised, and the day after that, she'll be on WestJet Flight 233 to Toronto. Instead, her dad has a fatal heart attack, and all she finds are clues leading to the ominous Alberta Psychiatric Hospital where her parents once worked.
Along the way: two fires, a family scandal, nineteen sassy sock creatures named Marcel, a new friend, a mystery, a stepmother who's maybe sympathetic after all, the unceasing misery of school and the search for a proper way to grieve a father.
Instructions for renegade crafts and associated illustrations included.
`Every now and then, a novel that is as solid as steel lands in readers' hands. A novel that needs the right proportion of its own hardening agents to deliver on the page. The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1-19 is such a book ... Brown's prose is astonishing.'
Vancouver Sun
`In this debut ... Jocelyn Brown transcends ... genre with a novel of depth and texture, rich with incident and very contemporary dialogue. She takes her readers deep into the complicated psyche of her narrator and heroine (yes, that's the right word), which is, as it turns out, exactly where her readers will want to be, richocheting from one OMG to another.'
- Globe and Mail
'This novel is about as strangely and intricately knotted as one of Dree's craft creations, and as hilariously fascinating.'
-Quill and Quire
`Brown's complex characters, unusual narrative style and fabulously quirky dialogue make this a fun book with layer after layer to uncover.'
- Geist Magazine
shield_question Foire aux questions
Ce roman offre une plongée unique dans l’univers d’une adolescente pleine d’esprit, confrontée au deuil et à la quête d’identité. Dree, héroïne attachante et drôle, vous emmène dans une aventure à la fois drôle et poignante, entre mystères familiaux, créations artisanales et rebondissements inattendus. L’écriture vive et le ton franc de Jocelyn Brown en font une lecture rafraîchissante et profondément humaine.
Le livre explore le deuil, la construction de soi, les relations familiales complexes, et la créativité comme échappatoire. Il aborde aussi l’adolescence, l’acceptation de soi, et la manière dont chacun trouve sa place dans le monde, le tout teinté d’humour et d’originalité.
Ce roman s’adresse aux adolescents et jeunes adultes en quête d’histoires authentiques et décalées, mais aussi à tout lecteur appréciant les récits drôles, émouvants et pleins de surprises. Les amateurs de romans d’apprentissage et de personnages haut en couleur y trouveront leur bonheur.
Vous pourrez interroger le smartbook sur les motivations de Dree, les secrets de sa famille, la signification des créatures Marcel, ou encore les références scientifiques et artisanales du roman. Posez-lui aussi des questions sur les thèmes du deuil et de la créativité, ou demandez des conseils de DIY inspirés de l’histoire !
newsmode Revue de presse
« She takes her readers deep into the complicated psyche of her narrator and heroine (yes, that’s the right word), which is, as it turns out, exactly where her readers will want to be, ricocheting from one OMG to another. »
« Your basic teen-attitude story in first person, present tense is now tediously commonplace. Nevertheless, there are occasional examples in which a sharp wit, a bitingly ironic voice, sheer quirkiness, and Edmonton – yes, Edmonton – carry the day. The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1 to 19 is one of them. »
« Brown’s complex characters, unusual narrative style and fabulously quirky dialogue make this a fun book with layer after layer to uncover. »
tag Mots-clés
roman ado
deuil
famille
créativité
edmonton
toronto
mitochondries
science
artisanat
dree
marcel
sock creatures
renegade craft fair
adolescence
quête d'identité
mystère familial
littérature jeunesse
roman d'apprentissage
humour noir
jocelyn brown
coach house books
canada
roman contemporain
fiction jeune adulte
diy
bricolage
deuil parental
relation mère-fille
amitié
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