And the Birds Rained Down
Jocelyne Saucier's aunt, Marie-Ange, was "put away" at the age of 16 in a psychiatric residence. Ms. Saucier decided to create a character based on her aunt. When her aunt was dying at the age of 87, Jocelyne told her about the character, and that her book, "And the Birds Rained Down", was dedicated to her.
It used to be that we put people away in so-called homes for the "defective", and in psychiatric institutions. We cut them off. We hid them. Some people died behind those walls. Thousands more simply never had a life. Few were blessed with a relative like Jocelyne Saucier, the widely-acclaimed Quebec novelist.
In her latest book And the Birds Rained Down, Jocelyne Saucier found a remarkable way to honour her elderly aunt, Marie-Ange.
And the Birds Rained Down is one of this year's selections for Canada Reads. The Canada Reads debates will take place on CBC Radio from March 16 - 19th.