Remnants is an exploration of our relationships with family and perception, told through a profound investigation of a father's life and sudden death. With various voices and hybrid forms — including dialogues, questionnaires, photographs, and dream documentation — Huyghebaert builds a fragmented picture of a father-daughter relationship that has been shaped by silences and missed opportunities.

The reader attempts to untangle fact from fiction: multiple versions of Huyghebaert's father are presented while remnants of his life disappear achingly quickly. What is left of someone who was not important enough to be archived? How do we talk about what no longer exists?

Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for French-language fiction, Remnants asks essential questions we often only peer at from the corner of an eye; questions about the value of life in its duration and passing. This is a transcendent work, ideal for readers of Annie Ernaux, Sophie Calle, and Maggie Nelson. (From Book*Hug Press)

Remnants is a finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translation. The winner will be announced on Nov. 16, 2022.

Céline Huyghebaert is a French-born Canadian writer and artist. She was recently awarded the Bronfman Fellowship in Contemporary Art. Huyghebaert lives in Montreal.

Aleshia Jensen is a French-to-English literary translator. Her recent work includes The League of Super Feminists by Mirion Malle and Prague by Maude Veilleux. Jensen lives in Montreal.