-
eBook Edition
- 978-1-03-832250-0
- epub, pdf files
-
Paperback Edition
- 978-1-03-832248-7
- 5.5 x 8.5 inches
- Black & White interior
- 366 pages
-
Hardcover Edition
- 978-1-03-832249-4
- 5.5 x 8.5 inches
- Black & White interior
- 366 pages
- Keywords
- historical novel,
- Québéc,
- Grande Noirceur,
- Maurice Duplessis,
- 1950s psych hospital,
- les Orphelins de Duplessis,
- Roman Catholic Church
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Day of Epiphany
by
Jerome J Bourgault
Inspired by True Events At the stroke of a pen, Sister Cassandra Lalonde has gone from being a teacher in an orphanage to a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, and her beloved students have been “reclassified” as mental patients. Set against the backdrop of Québec’s Grande Noirceur (Great Darkness) of the 1940s and ’50s, Day of Epiphany tells a haunting, riveting story inspired by the true events of the Duplessis orphans scandal, a much overlooked national tragedy. Invisible to society, and with no rights under the law, the children of Sainte-Madeleine Institute are subjected to horrific experimental treatments and unspeakable abuse. Alone against the combined powers of the Catholic Church, the autocratic government of Maurice Duplessis, and the province’s medical authorities, Cassandra must resort to increasingly drastic measures to protect those under her care. Ghostly hymns and desperate prayers build to a crescendo. When Cassandra’s plans to save one of her best and brightest students fall apart, she renounces her vows, and is left to pick up the threads of a shocking criminal scandal with roots stretching far beyond the walls of Sainte-Madeleine. This is a story of faith and betrayal, irreconcilable loyalties, and one courageous woman’s dauntless humanity in the face of institutionalized oppression. Part historical fiction and part mystery, with the atmosphere of a noir thriller, Day of Epiphany underscores a transformative moment in Canadian history.
Jerome Bourgault is a French-Canadian author, actor, visual artist, and teacher. In 2021, his debut novel, The Perpetual Now, won the Best Indie Book Award (BIBA) for Science Fiction. It was also a winner in the Commercial Fiction category, a finalist for the First Horizon Award (Best Work by a Debut Author), and shortlisted for the Grand Prize at the Eric Hoffer Awards. He holds degrees in Anthropology (McGill University) and Communications (University of Ottawa) and is a lifelong student of history. Jerome lives in Toronto with his family. Find him at www.jeromejbourgault.com or on Instagram at @jerome.bourgault.71. Author’s photo by Zoe Charles
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- Jerome J Bourgault
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