“I would like men to wake up” – Janette Bertrand

In her new novel, “Un rape ordinary”, Janette Bertrand tackles a hot topic: rape. A new story that was inspired by the #MeToo movement a few years ago and the wave of denunciations that followed here in Quebec. The 95-year-old author tells us about this book and gives us some news.

Janette, how are you?

It’s going well, I just received my book and I’m happy and proud. It is always a pleasure to see his book and to hold it in his hands for the first time. Otherwise, I admit that the current situation is worrying. But I do the right thing and stay at home.

How did the idea for this book come about?

It was born from the fact that women denounce their attackers more and more and that they are finally believed. Me, I was not so lucky when I was abused. This is a big step forward, but there is still a long way to go. It is certain that it is the #MeToo movement that stirred all this in me. I told myself that, thanks to this movement, we would finally come to equality between men and women. It was the era of the domination of men that made it so that there was and still is abuse. This morning, I read that in the United States, a woman is killed every four hours. There is something wrong. I had daughters, granddaughters, and I have six great-granddaughters … We absolutely have to talk about all this abuse to help these new generations of women.

You chose to tell this story from the abuser’s perspective, which is quite rare …

Yes. This is the story of Laurent, who committed a rape. The latter has had a blonde for several months, and she had told him that she didn’t want some form of hugging, but on a drunken night for the two of them, he did what she didn’t want. not that he does. She went to report him to the police, even though she loved him and was ready to make a living with him. He killed her inside, he broke the trust she had in men. Laurent’s mother also asks herself a lot of questions: she wants to understand why her son acted like this.

Was this book difficult to write?

Yes. It was very difficult because I like men. I have been surrounded by men since I was 18, and I would like them to be less caves. Even I hate it when they don’t measure up. I would like men to wake up, and I am convinced that if men don’t help us achieve equality between men and women, we will never have it.

Will there be a sequel to this novel?

Yes. And it will be the icing on the sundae, the culmination of my entire life fighting for equality between men and women. But we’re in the middle of a pandemic, so I wish I could live old enough to end it. I started it, and I have five years left before I turn 100. These will probably be the two novels that best sum up all that I have been able to accomplish in this battle for gender equality.

How do you cope with the confinement?

I’m tired like everyone else, but at the same time, I have so many plans that it’s not so bad. I need projects in life and wish them on everyone. These are the projects that project us into the future and keep us alive. I wish all seniors to have their heads full of projects. I also read a lot, and in a few weeks I’ll be reading biographies for a website. I am not bored for a single moment!

“Ordinary rape” is already available.