Worst Case, We Get Married

Overview

Aïcha lives with her mother in Montreal's Centre-Sud neighbourhood. She's only thirteen but claims to be older. She has never known her father, and resents her mother for leaving Hakim, her stepfather. Her only friends are Mel and Jo, two local prostitutes, and Baz, a musician in his twenties, who comes to her rescue one day and with whom she proceeds to fall in love. Her impossible love for Baz, her precociousness and her rebellious streak come together into an explosive cocktail. Raw and heartrending, Worst Case, We Get Married is the statement Aïcha gives to a social worker.

From acclaimed Québécois writer Sophie Bienvenu, and translated by JC Sutcliffe, comes Worst Case, We Get Married, a powerful and moving coming-of-age novel. Originally published in French in 2011 as Et au pire, on se mariera, the novel was adapted into a film by Bienvenu and Léa Pool in 2017.

Reviews

Author Biography

SOPHIE BIENVENU was born in Belgium. After studying visual communication in Paris, she moved to Quebec in 2001 and quickly established herself as a successful blogger. Her first novel, Et au pire, on se mariera, was adapted into a film by the same name in 2017, and translated into English as Worst Case, We Get Married. She is also the author of other novels, Chercher Sam, and Autour d'elle, and the poetry collection, Ceci n'est pas de l'amour. She has also written books for children and teens, including the popular YA series, (k). Bienvenu lives in Montreal.

JC SUTCLIFFE is a writer, translator, book reviewer, and editor who has lived in England, France, and Canada. She has reviewed for the Times Literary Supplement, the Globe and Mail and the National Post among others.