Struggling with an unlimited quota of fear, the novel’s main character is constantly bombarded by her thoughts. Her mother travels to Italy with her new flame. Her father cries in the shower. The planet’s carbon footprint is at an all-time high. Her friends have told her off. She must deal with eco-anxiety, eviction, influencers, social media, the moral contradictions of our time.

Fortunately, she can rely on Régis, her homeless friend, and the singleparent waitress at the local snack bar, on Orion. But most of all, she can count on life-saving writing and acts of rebellion; on the happiness spreading all around, and on the future that’s just around the corner.

Fluctuating between bitterness and tenderness, harshness and sensitivity, demands and indulgence, mixing caustic dialogues, sitcom scripts and poetry in a fragmented narrative, Sarah Lalonde’s voice both hurts and consoles.