Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Napanee-based author and Canada Reads finalist Catherine Hernandez is back with a new novel, The Story Of Us.
Much like her award-winning debut Scarborough, her latest work draws on inspiration of her own background, telling a heavy yet heart-warming story.
The story is told from the perspective of the all-seeing new born of the main character Mary Grace, a Filipino who arrives in Canada to work as a personal support worker. She soon she lands a job caring for Liz, an elderly patient suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Mary Grace’s time with her charge challenges her conservative believes, soon developing into a full-fledged friendship.
“The story was inspired by the idea that if a newborn infant, they just left the land of the ancestors, if they were to have a conversation with an elder who was about to join the ancestors because they were about to face the end of their life, if they were to have a conversation, what would that be?,” explains Hernandez. “Basically the entire book is this infant speaking to this elder, who their mother is caring for. Basically it’s about the relationship between a caregiver and her elderly client and this beautiful friendship that they have together.”
Though now living in the country, Hernandez grew up in Scarborough, which again serves as the setting for her latest story. Also influencing the narrative was Hernandez’s admiration for those who work in the PSW or nursing field.
“I really wanted a book that would feel like a hug,” said Hernandez. “I wanted people to believe in hope and love. The friendship between this caregiver and her elderly client, I wanted people to understand that love is always possible, we just have to choose it.”
Most unique about this novel is how its told-that responsibility given to Mary Grace’s infant. Hernandez says at times she wondered if it would work, but also notes she was drawn to the idea of not just getting inside her character’s head, but going one step further to explore that world through the eyes of a child, who has been inside her mother since the day of her birth.
Catherine-Hernandez. photographed by Noor-Khan
“I imagined what would happen if one of those eggs were able to speak,” said Hernandez. “They were able to say exactly what has happened to them throughout their entire lifetime, that their mother has gone through throughout their entire life. You see the character’s life unfold, but through the perspective of their unborn child.”
Written during the pandemic induced lockdown, Hernandez wanted to create a feel-good story that would leave the reader feeling a sense of belonging.
“I think that everyone can connect with the idea of wanting to belong, wanting to experience life but also wanting to be loved and cared for,” said Hernandez. “Those of those who do have the privilege to grow older, is that we won’t be able to grow old alone. We’ll actually need to have the help of those people around us. We know now with the pandemic how important it is for us to really be there for one another. Writing this at the beginning of the lockdown, I really wanted to show that if we choose each other, we all win. You see the characters in the book really creating their own family and that was important to me. Especially someone that was from the LGBQT community, a lot of times we have to choose our family because we’ve been disconnected to our own. Showing how the characters in the book really choose each other and choose love in order to survive for me is a really special journey.”
The Story Of Us is published by Harper Collins and was released on Feb. 28.
After seeing her first novel adapted the big screen, while winning eight Canadian Screen Awards, Hernandez said she is already working on a screenplay for The Story Of Us. She plans to take her time with it however to make sure she gets it just right.