In the End They Told Them All to Get Lost

Overview

We're never quite sure what made Chloé take a flight to an unnamed country in South America. There she lives in self-imposed exile following a suicide attempt. This series of short vignettes provides a glimpse of Chloé's scattered thoughts as she attempts to adjust to life in a new setting and recover from her depressive episode. Amidst the quirky observational humor of her internal monologue, a story of loneliness emerges as she tries (for the most part unsuccessfully) to form meaningful connections with the people she meets—and does her best to avoid—in her new surroundings. At times biting and sarcastic, at times beautiful and reflective, this debut novel takes an intimate look at depression, with a sharp and witty narrator who rides the line between self-aware and self-deprecating.

Reviews

"daring, raw and engaging" —Simon Lavery, Tredynas Days

"It's rare to find a first-time novelist as confident as Montreal's Laurence Leduc-Primeau. Narration from Chloe, who has inexplicably exiled herself to South America, is fragmented, but funny and embittered. (...) A bold debut." —Maxine Kozak, Broken Pencil Summer 2019 Indie Book Picks

"Much more than a simple travel narrative, Leduc-Primeau's work is an exploration of depression and the ways in which we attempt to make meaningful connections with those around us. (...) In all of her interactions, we feel and relate to her deep and aching desire to understand and be understood." —Megan Callahan, Montreal Review of Books

Author Biography

Laurence Leduc-Primeau is Montreal-born and bred. This is her first novel. Natalia Hero is a fiction writer and translator from Montreal. She holds a B.A. from Concordia University and an M.A. from the University of Ottawa.