Trois fois elle
(Three times her) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
Through these three generations of women, Trois fois elle recounts three life stories linked to three types of motherhood and three dreams for the future. A botched clandestine abortion, a pregnancy that was wanted and desired more than anything else, and a desire not to have children. Renée and Sylvie, each in their own way, end up leading lives where they can make their own choices despite what society and family impose on them: Renée despite her forced pregnancy, Sylvie despite her mother’s regrets about her own life. It is the third generation of women, embodied by Maxime, that allows them to reconnect and reconcile.
Edited by: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Comment:
The novel vividly depicts the emotions, the emotional turmoil, and the joy of each of these three women as they embark on their new adult lives. Then comes society’s judgement. Renée is forced to carry her pregnancy to term and nearly dies trying to terminate it (abortion is not yet legal and the backstreet abortionist botches the job). Sylvie knows that her mother wants something other than hairdressing and children for her and makes her choice despite Renée’s absolute distress. Thirty years later, Maxime also chooses her future: studies, environmental activism and no children, surrounded by a family that supports her. It is in this context that her mother and grandmother repair their maternal and filial bonds.