These Good Hands, a novel inspired by the life of French sculptor Camille Claudel, centres on the artist’s final days in Montdevergues asylum. Ten years in the making, my latest book is the product of extensive research into traditional sculptural practice, the infancy of modern mental healthcare and Vichy rule of occupied France. All this forms the backdrop to Camille’s story–told in a series of letters to a younger, freer self–and the story of her nurse, Solange Poitier, who documents her daily labours in a journal.
Even without updating your wonderful books and awards, you shine! Carol Bruneu, you are a Canadian treasure.