Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Between doing press for her critically acclaimed novel-turned film Scarborough and moving into her new Napanee home, Catherine Hernandez has had a busy couple of weeks.
The now local author spoke to the Beaver about the success of her work as well as adjusting to her new rural setting.
Released in 2017, Scarborough follows three young children in a low-income neighbourhood of Scarborough, learning valuable life lessons such as community and resilience over the course of a school year. In 2021 the novel was adapted to film and made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival where it was voted as runner-up for TIFF’s Audience Award and is currently up for 11 Canada Screen Awards as well as the Rogers Prize for Best Canadian Film. Last month it began showing in theatres across the province.
“It’s inspired by the spirit of the precarious nature of my life at that time because I was running a home daycare, I was a single mom living hand to mouth and I really wanted to write a piece of fiction that really captured a time in my life where I could not see 24 hours ahead of me, let alone to my next paycheque,” said Hernandez, who grew up in Scarborough before buying her first home in Napanee earlier this year. “Having people understand what it’s like to be working class poor and have systems that are really set up to fail you was something that I wanted to speak to.”
As connected as she is to the Scarborough community and city life style, she is quickly adapting to county living in Napanee, noting the sound of late night sirens has been replaced by wind whistling through the trees.
After an exhaustive search, her family put in an offer on a home in Napanee, which she says has been extremely welcoming.
“Crossing our fingers we went over to the Waterfront Pub and sat down for our dinner and we told the waitress what was going on and she was so sweet and said ‘I hope that you get to be Napaneers’. I remember thinking to myself I really want to be a Napaneer now that I know what the term is,” Hernandez laughed.
Her offer was accepted and since then its been a whirlwind between renovating the home, learning about the community while also enjoying the success after years of hard work put into her book.
When asked about the process behind writing her novel, she says she set out to tell the story of the working poor in a way that often gets overlooked.
“I didn’t see myself in the media being depicted with respect and honour,” said Hernandez. “However I knew that I was an honourable person and I knew that I deserved respect and I wanted to do that for people because I wanted it for myself. To really showcase what it’s like to find small success just everyday, just by putting food on the table which was really, really important.”
She says it was crucial for her to capture the spirit of the people of the community, as they’re the ones who made it special.
Her book is currently a finalist for CBC’s Canada Reads 2022, which will see five Canadian celebrities pitch their case as to why their selection is one every Canadian should read. Actor and activist Malia Baker will champion Scarborough in a debate that will be broadcast on CBC Radio One, CBC Listen, CBC Listen, CBC TV, CBC Gem and CBC Books from March 28-31.
Meanwhile the film adaptation, which has been garnering critical acclaim, continues to screen in theatres.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Hernandez said of seeing her work perform well in two different mediums simultaneously. “However when I was writing the book, because I came from a background in theatre, I wrote it out loud. I would say it out loud and write it down. Say it out loud and write it down. Because it was actually my first novel and having come from theatre it was such a lonely process because I was all by myself in my office writing it. I wasn’t used to that. I was used to having actors say my script out loud, performing edits.”
She was approached by several directors looking to adapt the book to film before she ultimately settled on Sasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson.
The film is currently being shown in selects theatres in Scarborough, Toronto, Hamilton, Kanata, Winnipeg and Whitby while making its debut at the Kingston Film Festival today.