INTRODUCTION BY ANNETTE JONES
One of the best things about being a librarian is having the ability to recommend great books to eager readers. I get to learn about all sorts of genres and the authors who write in them.
My dad was an avid reader so when he was in hospice with multiple myeloma he wanted me to recommend some good reads. The Brutal Telling had just come out on Playaway, which is a small MP3 player that contains one audio book. My dad couldn’t hold a book or maneuver a cd player at that point so this was perfect for him. I had read great reviews of Louise Penny’s books and had always meant to try one. So Dad started reading The Brutal Telling and was thrilled to tell me and my husband, Joe (also a librarian!), all about it. This, of course, prompted us to pick up the book and read along. All three of us fell in love with Louise’s writing, with her wonderful characters and with Three Pines. My dad was nearly to the end of the book when he started to take a turn for the worse and he passed away before he had a chance to finish it. During the second day of his wake, when all of us were saying goodbye to him, Joe told me to go ahead so he could be alone with my dad. . . . A few minutes later he told me that he wanted to tell Dad how the book ended.
So then I went back and started with Still Life and caught up to the rest of the series. When I read Bury Your Dead, I thought of my dad and how he would have loved the storylines and the continued investigation into the murder of the Hermit. After it was released, my library was host to Louise as she entertained 200+ very loyal fans. So I’m very pleased to be participating in the reread. Oh, and you’ll be meeting Joe as well . . . he’s bringing you Bury Your Dead’s Recap Part 2.
With Bury Your Dead, Louise Penny brings us not one, not two, but three brilliant storylines. She uses flashbacks to tell the tale of a rescue gone awry, in a way she has not done previously. The complexity of Gamache’s character comes center stage.
Each of the three storylines will be handled separately.
RECAP
Ch. 1-11: The book opens with an adrenaline-pumping description of a police stakeout . . . and the reveal that Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has made a mistake. What mistake? What could he have possibly done and how long must we wait to find out!?
Murder at the Lit and His:
Flash forward to the present day as Gamache is being consoled by his mentor, Emile Comeau. As a result of the mysterious incident (and the urging of his wife, Reine-Marie), Gamache takes a sabbatical to the quiet of Quebec City during Winter Caranaval to recoup.
While there, Gamache decides to take advantage of one of Québec City’s most iconic institutions, the Literary and Historical Society, to research the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. During the infamous battle, French General Montcalm was defeated by the English General Wolfe—a fate which took Canada out of French rule and handed it to the British. Gamache meets the librarian Winnie and various members of the Society’s board. While there, a body is discovered in the basement of building and our recovering Chief Inspector gets roped into the investigation.
The body is that of Augustin Renaud, a Champlain scholar who made it his life’s work to discover where Québec’s hero is buried. It seems that Renaud had consistently attempted to gain an audience with the Lit and His Board because he believed that Champlain was buried in their basement. Apparently, the man had a habit of making a nuisance of himself. While investigating, Gamache speaks with board members Elizabeth MacWhirter and Porter Wilson. The police state that Renaud was killed by a shovel at approximately 11 the previous evening . . . and that someone had to have let him into the subbasement where he was found.
Elizabeth MacWhirter meets Gamache at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, where they discuss the theory that the “English” may have murdered Renaud to keep the secret that Champlain was buried under the Lit and His. We then meet the young minister Thomas Hancock. Gamache asks if he is Québécois but as it turns out, he was born in New Brunswick. The Reverend sat on the Lit and His board for 18 months and tells Gamache that the Society refused to speak with Renaud. Gamache asks who has access to the basement and Hancock tells him that Winnie does. He then goes on to say that the subbasement where the body was discovered was scheduled to be cemented over in a couple of days.
Emile invites Gamache to the Château Frontenac hotel to meet with two gentlemen from the Champlain Society. René Dallaire and Jean Hamel tell Gamache that Champlain is believed to be buried near his statue in the city. The chapel where the statue now stands was burned along with all of their burial records, making it difficult to find his body. The other, more controversial, theory is that they dumped his body in a landfill while Québec City was expanding. Gamache visits the Notre Dame cathedral and meets a Father Sébastien to talk about Renaud. While there, he is told that the portrait that is most associated with Champlain is really that of Louis XIII’s accountant.
In the meantime, the board gathers to listen to Porter give a radio interview about the murder. Elizabeth then reminisces about the Separatist revolt in 1966 and how the Lit and His, an “English” institution, was attacked.
Gamache meets Inspector Langlois at Renaud’s home, which is covered with Champlainalia. After hours of searching, he comes across the diaries of Augustin Renaud.
Hermit’s Murder Revisited:
At the close of The Brutal Telling we discover that bistro owner Olivier Brulé is accused of murdering a man referred to as The Hermit. After Olivier’s arrest, Gamache starts receiving letters every day from Olivier’s partner, the affable Gabri, stating, “Why would Olivier move the body?” Gabri’s prodding prompts Gamache to send his assistant Jean-Guy Beauvoir to Three Pines to unofficially investigate.
As Beauvoir arrives in Three Pines, we have a recap of what happened in the previous book. Olivier had discovered that a hermit, who lived in a cabin in the woods, had an amazing talent for carving sculptures. Olivier exchanged food for the works of art and sold them and other valuables to an antiques dealer for a huge profit. The Hermit was later beaten to death and the weapon found in Olivier’s possession.
In Three Pines, Beauvoir visits the new inn, run by Carole Gilbert. While there he is introduced to Roar Parra, who, along with his wife Hanna and their son Havoc were all previously suspects in the murder of the Hermit.
Beauvoir decides to visit the scene of the crime and takes a Ski-doo to the Hermit’s cabin. On his ride he suddenly collapses from overwhelming “familiar” pain, only to be rescued by Dr. Vincent Gilbert, the hated “asshole saint.”
Upon recovering, Beauvoir visits Olivier in prison and tells him that Gamache has asked him to investigate his case further. Olivier admits that he has lied and proceeds to tell him how he became involved with the Hermit. He shares how he visited the Hermit every two weeks to gather the valuable goods to sell for his own profit. The Hermit had scratched the words Charlotte, Emily and Woo in carvings that he had made. Olivier confides to Beauvoir that he moved the body to implicate Mark Gilbert, the owner of the new inn in town.
Beauvoir proceeds to visit the shop where Olivier had sold the Hermit’s goods, the Temps Perdu. He questions the shop owner about Olivier’s items, under the ruse that he was Olivier’s partner and that he had died. Afterwards, Beauvoir calls to speak with Olivier, who admits to yet another lie, the Hermit was not Czech.
The Stakeout:
Now back to the story which permeates the whole book: The stakeout. In the beginning of Bury Your Dead we learn that Gamache is speaking to a young person via a set of headphones, telling the mystery listener that nothing bad will happen to him. Then we see that time is counting down: 47 seconds… 43 seconds… 36 seconds… All we know at this point is that officers are in an abandoned factory building with automatic weapons, ready to infiltrate. At this moment, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache realizes that he’s made a mistake.
As our other storylines unfold, so does the story behind the stakeout. A note from Agent Isabelle Lacoste tells Gamache that the atmosphere is intense at the Sûreté. Then we flash to memories of a funeral with uniformed officers: the first realization that someone has died.
And now the slow unfolding of the story, a brilliant device. While Gamache finds solitude at the Lit and His his peace is interrupted by haunting memories of gunshots, exploding wood and the words, “I believe you, Sir.” The fireworks for the opening festivities of the Carnaval de Québec prompt Gamache to remember that Beauvoir was shot on the factory floor.
Throughout the next several chapters Gamache recalls conversations with Agent Morin, the Sûreté officer who lovingly played the violin in the Hermit’s cabin in The Brutal Telling. The two talk about Morin’s childhood and his first swimming lesson. He speaks of his upcoming nuptials and Gamache tells of the Apache prayer that was spoken at his wedding with Reine-Marie.
We see the story through Beauvoir’s eyes as well. We discover that an officer, who had been investigating a stopped car had been shot. Agent Morin was apparently present at the incident.
Gamache then gets a call from a frantic man who was pulled over with a flat tire, a gun in his front seat. The man was terrified that the officers would find out what he was carrying in the back of his truck and, in turn, ended up shooting the officer and kidnapping Morin.
Ch. 12 – end: Hi, this is Joe taking over for Annette on part 2 of this recap. I consider myself a reader and have been ever since I can remember. Over the years there have been many books I have loved and consider a favorite. Surprisingly though, I am not the type of reader who will reread a book. There are so many books I want to read that I have a hard time justifying going back to one I’ve already read even, if it was a favorite of mine. Bury Your Dead I can make an exception for because it still won’t let go of my emotions after all this time.
Murder at the Lit and His:
While going through Renaud’s diaries, Gamache finds the date of the Lit and His board meeting with nothing else. He also sees a notation for the following week—SC at 1pm. The journal is blank after that. Looking back he finds a mention of the Lit and His a week before the board meeting and above it, four names Renaud planned to meet there—a Chin, a JD, S. Patrick, and F. O’Mara with the number 18-something. There is a S. Patrick in the phone book.
A visit to Sean Patrick’s house turns up nothing of interest, as does asking the Lit and His board. Gamache does notice some strange numbers in the book Mr. Blake is reading that look like two numbers Renaud had put in his diary: 9-8499 & 9-8572. It turns out they are catalog numbers the Lit and His used years ago. Not a very efficient system and the best they can do is narrow the references down to two possible years. The first year is 1939 and does not seem promising. The next. from 1899, refers to a lot donated by Madame Claude Marchand of Montreal. Gamache later discovers that Marchand was a housekeeper in 1899 for a Charles Paschal Télesphore Chiniquy who had died that year.
From Émile., we learn that Chiniquy was a priest who preached against the dangers of alcohol in Québec back in the 1860s or 1870s.
Gamache heads to search the local bookstores while Émile. does more research on Chiniquy. Gamache finds a store that sold Renaud some boxes of books it had purchased from the Lit and His the previous summer. Émile. discovers that Chiniquy was good friends with a James Douglas, who was one of the founders of the Lit and His. James was a doctor who started a mental hospital in Québec after being forced to leave the United States for robbing the wrong grave for dissection purposes. Also, it is revealed that the books that were sold by the Lit and His included the collection donated by Mrs. Claude Marchand back in 1899.
Gamache gets the idea to go back to Sean Patrick’s house and ask if he can check the back of a photo he noticed on his first visit. The photo is of Patrick’s great-grandfather, who shared his name, and a group of laborers in front of a large hole. The back of the photo reveals the names Sean Patrick and Francis O’Mara with the date 1869. Gamache also learns Patrick bought his home in 1870 in an unusual location for an Irish laborer to be able to afford.
Now we know the four names mentioned in Renaud’s diary. Gamache first meets with the Chief Archeologist, Serge Croix, to ask him to look into what digging work was going on at the time of the photograph. and then with Langlois to find that Renaud had left some boxes of books with his ex-wife. Gamache immediately visits Madame Renaud and discovers that two of the books are missing. The two they are searching for.
Serge Croix sends Gamache an email telling him that in the summer of 1869 there were three big digs—one at the Citadelle, one at the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, and one to dig a basement under the local restaurant The Old Homestead. Visiting the restaurant, Gamache recognizes the site of the photo he found at Sean Patrick’s house.
Gamache then spends a few hours at the Lit and His examining their books. When he leaves he has two books hidden in his satchel.
At the meeting of the Société Champlain, Gamache tells a story about what happened in the summer of 1869. The two books missing from Renaud’s collection are the two books Gamache found at the Lit and His: one of Chiniquy’s diaries and Champlain’s bible! The bible shows that Champlain was a Huguenot, which is why he was not buried in the Catholic cemetery. Also, from the diary we learn that Patrick and O’Mara found Champlain’s coffin under the Old Homestead and brought it to the Lit and His. After the meeting, Gamache asks Émile. why he lied about the time the meeting started and why he didn’t tell him the SC appointment in Renaud’s diary was for a meeting at the Société Champlain. Émile.apologizes for lying and says they rejected meeting with Renaud, who told them he had discovered important information and was willing to bury it if they accepted him into the group.
Back at the Lit and His, we find Inspector Langlois and Serge Croix in the basement. Gamache wants them to search again for the coffin and when Croix sees Champlain’s bible he agrees. A coffin is found buried near the stairs. The coffin is opened and…it contains the skeleton of a woman.
That evening Gamache and Henri head out for their nightly walk. Even in a blizzard they walk on until they are at The Plains of Abraham, where they find they are not the only ones out on this frigid late evening. Entering a stone turret to get out of the storm, Gamache finds the mystery guest is the young Presbyterian minister, Tom Hancock, whom he identifies as Renaud’s killer. Tom doesn’t deny it and says he had to because he was the only one who could. Also, that he came out in the storm to take his own life to end things. Gamache refuses to let that happen and finally Tom agrees to go with him to be arrested.
Hermit’s Murder Revisited:
Beauvoir returns to the B&B after learning from Olivier that the Hermit’s name was not really Jakob. He decides to take Clara into his confidence and tell her the real reason he is back in Three Pines. Time for Beauvoir to question the original suspects, starting with Old Mundin and The Wife.
During an exercise class Clara and Myrna are debating if they should murder their instructor Pina. Elizabeth Gilbert and The Wife both agree that they should and need to do it now! After the class Clara tries to steer the conversation to help Beauvoir and asks Hanna if she could kill anyone. She is not sure, but both Dominique and The Wife say if they had to they could.
After hearing about this conversation, Beauvoir calls Gamache and says he needs his help about the murder of the Hermit. He has narrowed it down to five suspects—Havoc Parra and his father Roar, Vincent Gilbert and his son Marc, or Old Mundin. They all had opportunity, but what motive? Beauvoir suggests that maybe the murder had nothing to do with the treasure. Beauvoir ends the phone call by asking if the Chief could look into Carole Gilbert and Old Mundin’s backgrounds since they both came from Quebec City.
Gamache asks Elizabeth MacWhirter if she knew Carole Gilbert. It turns out there were in the same bridge club, but didn’t socialize otherwise. Elizabeth did add that Carole was very patient, very calm, and a great strategist. Also, her maiden name was Woloshyn. which was an old Québec family. She knew the Mundins as well and told Gamache the father committed suicide by walking out on the thin ice of the river.
Beauvoir begins to speculate that the treasure was not the reason for the murder, but was what brought the murderer to Three Pines. Beauvoir says if the treasures are not the key, then the words “woo” and “Charlotte” must be. Each of the suspects, except one, would have taken at least part of the treasure because they needed the money. Vincent Gilbert was the only one who had enough money and didn’t care about the treasure. Which is when the murderer stands up and reveals himself to be…Old Mundin.
Old Mundin, whose real name is Patrick, tells us he saw a walking stick of his father’s in the the Temps Perdu antique store. He knew then his father had been murdered because he never would have parted with any of his treasures. When he learned the seller had been Olivier he moved to Three Pines. It did not take long to realize that Olivier was not his father’s murderer, but his father’s treasures kept appearing for sale. Years later after marrying Michelle, The Wife, Old saw Olivier go off into the woods after locking up one Saturday night. He decided to follow him the next time he did this and discovered the cabin. When he looked in the window he recognized all the treasures from his father’s secret collection.
First, Patrick wanted to torment the Hermit with a spider web and wood carving of the word woo. When that didn’t seem to have any effect, Patrick took a menorah and hit the Hermit over the head, killing him. He left the body, figuring Olivier would find it and keep quiet because he still wanted the treasures. Upon further questioning we find out who the Hermit really was: he was Patrick’s father who faked his own death years ago and moved himself and his treasures to Three Pines!
We end with Gamache and Beauvoir delivering Olivier back to Three Pines a free man.
The Stakeout:
The burden is too much and Beauvoir has to tell someone his story and chooses Ruth, the one person he feels won’t judge him or care.
The frustration of not being able to trace the phone call from Morin grows, and Gamache goes against orders and secretly passes a note to Beauvoir to enlist the aid of Agent Nichol, who has been placed in Communications by Gamache to learn how to listen. She agrees, but needs Gamache to pause in talking so she can listen for ambient sounds in the background.
When the one clear word they hear is La Grande, Gamache pleads with Francoeur to at least put a few people on it and alert the security at the huge hydroelectric dam.
For the first time in their conversation, Gamache hears the fear in Morin’s voice. He asks Morin if he is afraid. Everything stops in the office as the agents all stare at Gamache and listen to Morin trying to be brave. When he finally admits that he is, Gamache tells him he will find him in time, and asks Morin if he trusts him. Morin says he does. When asked if he thinks Gamache would lie to him, Morin says “No sir, never.” Each time Morin’s voice has more confidence. Gamache then tells Morin, “I will find you in time,” and asks, “Do you believe me?” When Morin says he does, Gamache tells him to never, ever forget that.
While meeting with the Société Champlain, Gamache feels his phone buzzing over and over again. When he finally checks it, he sees he has 27 missed calls and Beauvoir is on the line now. Beauvoir breaks the news that a video has been released online. We learn that Beauvoir and Nichol were able to figure out where the factory was located from the background noise and they expected to find three kidnappers there. Gamache handpicked six agents to cover the chance there were more. There were: There were more than they could possibly have anticipated. After the phone call, Gamache has some phone calls to make: first to his wife, then to the officers who survived and the families of those who didn’t.
Beauvoir heads over to Ruth’s house again, where they sit and watch the video together. Back in Quebec City, Gamache and Émile.do the same. What follows is heartbreaking. Into the breach they went, determined to save one of their own. only to find themselves outnumbered. First Beauvoir went down with a gunshot wound… then Gamache. By the end there were three dead Surete officers and four wounded. Eight kidnappers were killed, one critically injured, and one captured. The plot to blow up the La Grande dam was stopped but at a price no one knew would be so high. Not just for the loss of life.
Gamache still blames himself as he tells Tom Hancock his story. When Tom asks if he knew how the video got out, Gamache says no. When asked if he had his suspicions, Gamache remembers the rage on Francoeur’s face when Gamache told him to send help to the dam. If Gamache was wrong he would resign, but if he was right and Francoeur did nothing, he would bring him up on charges. Gamache sees another face as well: one that saw everything, that heard everything, that remembered everything.
After dropping off Olivier at the Bistro in Three Pines, Gamache goes for a solitary walk outside. He sees the image of Morin’s dead body, found too late to save him. “I’m so sorry. Forgive me” is all he can say. This time there is no answer back.
FAVORITE QUOTES & CONCLUSION
While on the phone with Morin, Gamache tells him about the Apache blessing that he and Reine-Marie used at their wedding. I was floored when I read it in Bury Your Dead because, oddly enough, Joe and I used it at our wedding as well. Here it is, in its entirety:
Now you will feel no rain
For each of you will be shelter for the other
Now you will feel no cold
For each of you will be warmth for the other
Now there is no loneliness for you
Now there is no more loneliness.
Now you are two persons, but there is one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon this earth.
There were a number of ones to choose from, but the one that has stuck with me was when Beauvoir was about to meet with the residents of Three Pines at the Bistro to reveal the murderer:
“Like the rest of Three Pines, and its residents, it took what was coming and remained standing.”
A simple thought that has so many meanings. We can look at this as a city, a family, or a person. Life can be challenging and it is how we deal with its ups and downs that define us. Thanks to the Gamache series it is comforting for the reader to know that no matter what is going on in our hectic lives we can always come back to Three Pines, sit in the Bistro by the fire, and feel at home.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Rene said, “I sometimes think we are a rowboat society. It’s why Québec is so perfectly preserved. It’s why we’re all so fascinated with history. We’re in a rowboat. We move forward, but we’re always looking back.” Do you think this is true? Is it unique to Québec?
- Anti-English sentiment is a theme that runs throughout the book. For American readers; were you surprised that this still exists today? For our Canadian fans, have you ever encountered this?
- Pere Sebastien tells Gamache there are a lot of reasons for murder. Gamache answers back that there is actually only one. “Beneath all the justifications, all the psychology, all the motives given, like revenge or jealousy, there lies the real reason. Fear. Fear of losing what you have or not getting what you want.” True?
- Which of the three storylines appeals to you the most?
- Gamache seems newly vulnerable—and fallible—in this book, compared to the earlier titles in the series. How does this change your view of him?
- Do you think Beauvoir’s cynical view of Three Pines is beginning to change, and if so, how?
- While talking about Renaud, Émile comments that his lack of any friends is the price of greatness. When Gamache comments that he thought Émile. and the Champlain Society considered Renaud a kook, Émile. says “Aren’t most great people? True? Is this one of the costs of greatness?
- Gamache is struck for the first time by how interesting the English expression to “know something by heart” is. “To commit something to memory was to know it by heart. Memories were kept in the heart, not the head. At least, that’s where the English kept their memories.” Are your great memories – tell us! – stored both in your heart and head?
- Mr. Blake comments on how the British Museum has many treasures taken from graves and says it was a good thing; otherwise they would be looted or destroyed. Gamache thinks that one civilization’s courageous action was another’s violation. Such was history and hubris. Is it good to have these treasures in museums? Should they be returned to the countries they came from?
- General Montcalm was originally buried after his injuries and the French loss at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. The nuns had buried him there because they were afraid of English reprisals. Later he was dug up and his skull and a leg bone were reburied in a crypt in the chapel. Then recently he was reburied in a mass soldiers’ grave that contained the bodies of all the men who died in that one terrible hour. French and English together for eternity. Long enough to make peace. Should they have been buried together?
- Croix tells a quote from Horace to Gamache who then finished it. Croix says “It is sweet and right to die for your country. Magnificent.” Gamache doesn’t agree and says “It’s an old and dangerous lie. It might be necessary, but it is never sweet and rarely right. It’s a tragedy.” Who is right? Is there a right answer?
- Were you surprised to learn that Old Mundin was the real murderer of The Hermit? Whom did you suspect?
244 replies on “Series Re-Read: Bury Your Dead”
Which of the three storylines appeals to you the most?
Like everyone else, I believe there are more than 3 story lines. I still want to know how the hermit was killed! I’m fascinated to know what has hurt Gamache and scarred him so much! It’s heart breaking. The Champlain line is interesting. I’m fearing for Jean-Guy now as I see that maybe an addiction is starting.
Pere Sebastien tells Gamache there are a lot of reasons for murder. Gamache answers back that there is actually only one. “Beneath all the justifications, all the psychology, all the motives given, like revenge or jealousy, there lies the real reason. Fear. Fear of losing what you have or not getting what you want.” True?
Interesting thought. Does this exclude the psychotic people? Some people kill over jealousy, so is that still boiled down to a fear? What about blind rages? Someone is just so angry and kills. Is it really a fear of losing something? I’ll have to think more about this! lol
Anti-English sentiment is a theme that runs throughout the book. For American readers; were you surprised that this still exists today? For our Canadian fans, have you ever encountered this?
Not really surprised as once again our human nature has leanings to have prejudices and pride, thinking one is better than another. I was lost in Montreal once, in a French section, no one could help us but they were so nice! lol Another time we were in Quebec, not the city, the countryside. We went to a winery where they also had a small collection of animals from around the world. There English was very weak, but they were so kind and tried so hard to communicate. I was so touched by them struggling with the English and I have no clue about French except for merci!
Rene said, “I sometimes think we are a rowboat society. It’s why Québec is so perfectly preserved. It’s why we’re all so fascinated with history. We’re in a rowboat. We move forward, but we’re always looking back.” Do you think this is true? Is it unique to Québec
I think it’s human nature to always look back or want to look back and say what if…or if only…As to Quebec, I really don’t know being an American. I do love Canada and I’m finding all the history very fascinating.
There certainly was much going on in Quebec during the 60s and 70s! It was more than 30 years ago but there was great animosity on both sides, really. I was there. Beauvoir makes me laugh out loud with his remarks about the English (that would include me). A good look at the other side and good memories of home.
My history reading group just read Champlain: The European Founding of North America by professor David Hackett Fischer. In remembering old history lessons it occurred to me that when in elementary school in English Canada, I had not learned as much about Champlain as I thought. Hmmmm. The winners write the history, n’est-ce pas?
The rowboat description is true for everyone, I think.
Fear of being proved not innocent, or not smart, or not what one thinks one is or of being proved wrong, are also a part of the fear that leads to murder. Gamache is right on – fear it is.
I am so happy to have discovered Louise Penny’s Gamache stories. Catching up, I am reading them first time through as I watch these posts.
What to say about this book. I have been an avid reader 0f many genres since age four-that’s seventy years now. This is one of my favorites. How does an author create characters that are so human and so endearing. Morin was very special from his introduction. The scene of him playing the violin in the Hermit’s cabin had me holding my breath–straining to hear the music as it tumbled from the bow.
The conversation between Gamache and Morin was painfully touching. They became so close to each other. Morin truly believed Gamache would save him and Gamache knew it. How unbelievably devastating for Armand. His physical injuries, while severe, were not as severe as the emotional damage. Our Inspector Armand Gamache who was confident and assured is gone. Will he be able to regain his footing and be that man again?
He has help– Renie Marie, who is wise enough to give Armand the space he needs when she must want to hold and comfort him. She had come so close to losing him. When we truly love, we must put our feelings second to the needs of our loved one.
Emile, his superior and teacher in the Surete, now a long time friend tries to help by waiting and picking up on clues as to how he may help.
Henri helps in that special way that dogs do so well. He is ready for a walk even if it is at an hour when most humans are asleep. Even if it is freezing cold and dark outside. He offers some bit of comedic relief as he leaps after and crunches snowballs.
The Lit and His gives him a refuge where he can read his forwarded mail and be with his thoughts. The description of the Lit and His seems like a place I would enjoy too.
What a treasure this book is.
“Bury Your Dead” was my first Louise Penny book. Realizing it was #5 of a series, I e-mailed Louise to see if I really needed to read the prior books first. She wrote back and said that, no, all four weren’t required but reading #4 certainly would help (which I did). Thus this book holds a special place for me – discovering a great author!
But, as well, “Bury Your Dead” is special because I’m a history buff. Thus, I was immediately drawn into the history of Champlain and Quebec and her city. As others have written, I only knew of Champlain as one of the major explorers of what became North America. Even rereading this book has not diminished my relearning of this piece of history. Thus, this is my favorite storyline. I’m simply amazed at how well Louise wrote each storyline, allowing us readers to travel back-and-forth between and amongst them without ever feeling disjointed. Certainly would find it interesting to see her storyboard for this book!
#2 – Anti-English Sentiment. No, I was/am not surprised at all about this sentiment. When I was 9, our summer vacation was to Montreal for Expo 67, then on to Quebec City (vivid memory of looking up and seeing the towering Chateau Frontenac!). I remember father having to struggle with his oh-so-long-ago high school French, merely to order meals. While as I child I had to wonder if no one really, really understood English; but we would receive no service or assistance without speaking French. So, to know that this anti-English sentiment persists to today – not at all surprising, especially reading about many in Quebec wanting to secede from Canada. And we Americans can look to our South for long-held sentiments that still exist: in many states, the Confederacy is very much alive and well.
#5 – Gamache becoming more vulnerable – I can’t help but think this is part of the perils of being a leader, especially one who’s right there in the trenches with his team. To me, Gamache was always very human, Louise giving us many hints all along. It’s just that, to me, “Bury Your Dead” allows that human-ness to become very obvious, especially as we move through the various storylines at Gamache’s side. Gamache is someone I’d truly like to meet and get to know face-to-face…if only.
Yes, we Americans do see “anti” sentiments directed to various groups by other groups. I do not understand such feelings and have written many letters protesting the portrayal of an ethnic group, religious group, occupation, women, the handicapped, Gays, the elderly, and yes- even Southerners. Obviously the geographical location of one’s birth does not prevent prejudice. I am tempted to mention what must not be guaranteed but will not. My Southern rearing will not allow it.
My question doesn’t fit in here,sorry, but I very much wonder what Winnie means when she says that the night is a strawberry? That would be ‘La nuit est une fraise’ in french. Very confusing, in deed. Or is this a joke among Canadiens?
Cecile, I never studied French. Latin, German but not French. I just assumed, based on the reactions of other characters, that Winnie is the Miss Malaprop of the Lit-His when she tries to converse in French. Didn’t get the idea that she was deliberately trying to insult or be obnoxious – or confusing — she just didn’t get it that her attempts to be helpful and courteous by speaking French – were like trying to read something from scrambled eggs! Another example of Penny’s humor, along with goofy Henri eagerly jumping each time to catch a snowball, Jean-Guy trying to be sociable with the 3 P ers, Gabri and JG’s exchanges with Ruth (did we see the exercise class yet in these chapters? That fits into the humor strand too!). Think Langlois is grateful to Gamache for ‘translating’ well-intentioned Winnie as he attempts to interview the Lit-His board about the murder. Armand seems to know what Winnie intended to say! :~D
I think this is similar to our trying to decipher Billy Williams’ words in A Fatal Grace. Not sure, but I think she may have been teeing to say it was a cold night. The word for cold is somewhat similar to the word for strawberry, and more to the point, perhaps, kind of sounds like the English word “freeze”.
Maybe that’s it. I remember Louise saying one time that she was asking for the train station and the cab driver asked what war she wanted to go to (words for station and war being similar ).
I meant “trying” to say – wish I could turn off the autocorrect on my Kindle while still being able to use swype.
And I love the little exchange when Elizabeth asks Winnie “Did you tell them the night is a strawberry?” and she says “Yes”. Then Elizabeth asks, “What did they say?” and Winnie replies “They didn’t disagree.”
I just lost my reply. I don’t know what I did. In French, sometimes a word can mean different things depending on it’s placement in the sentence. This tablet has a program that corrects spelling – sometimes incorrectly – it insisted on the apostrophe in it’s, when their shouldn’t be one. But back to Winnie’s sentence. I’m not sure what happened that made it come out meaning that the night was a strawberry, but it might have something to do with word order. I would really love to know more about this because it brings in some much needed comic relief!
Poor Elizabeth, but at least she is trying! “Frais” is fresh, chilly, brisk. A brisk night would be “la nuit frais.” “Une fraise” is a strawberry. So, Elizabeth’s use of the word with the silent e made a silly statement rather than a comment on the weather!
But, I can’t understand what she was trying to say when she said “May I tuna you?” And there was another one about a teapot (that I can’t find right now) which I didn’t get either. Can someone translate those, please?
Oops — I meant Winnie! 🙂
I’m so glad to see this question raised! I kept wondering what “false friends” in the language were leading to these puzzling statements!
May I tuna you? Translated directly would be Puis-je vous thon? (thon is tuna) “Puis-je vous” means “May I”. I can think of some possibilities…
When Elizabeth said what sounds like “thon”, she meant “tend” which means tends — or maybe she was mixing up the English “attend” because it looks like tend? She tends to him. = Elle tend à lui. In French “attend” is actually “assister”.
ps: “May I help you?” is often “Puis-je vous aider?”
pps: I’m a first-gen Canadian on my mum’s side, raised English-speaking, by my Italian mother, but on my father’s side I am a first generation Anglophone, since my father is Quebecois, and was initially raised Francophone. So I’m not English by culture, but only by first language…
I’m grateful for the explanation about the strawberry. I still don’t understand about the pillows on the wall or the figs on the shelves. But I know I have never felt a stronger desire to be an umlaut.
“Beneath all the justifications, all the psychology, all the motives given, like revenge or jealousy, there lies the real reason. Fear. Fear of losing what you have or not getting what you want.”
I believe that all the worst behavior found in people can be laid at the door of fear. It is built into our make up as human beings. We were hunters and gatherers, living in world that required vigilance. Fear was critical to us surviving as a species.
Even though the characters in Louise’s books and we, the readers, live in a ‘civilized’ world…we still operate fundamentally on survival mentality. Without saber-toothed tigers hunting us, we still are wired to identify threat. Today, that threat is more subtle, but the wiring remains, as do our responses to threat. The most immediate responses are either fight or flight – both with the same aim….survival.
To me, fear explains it all. It reduces our brains to their most basic function – to protect us at all cost. Today, that encompasses, at its heart: the status quo of our lives, the members of our family (pack), our livelihoods, our homes, our status and much more. There is a fundamental part of us, that when threatened, will do anything.
I loved this book because it illuminated the tensions between English and French in Quebec, a conflict which I grew up hearing about. (For an excellent novel on the subject, I recommend “Two Solitudes,” by Hugh MacLennan.) Penny does an superb job in delving into the human emotion of any situation. The “rowboat” question regarding looking toward the past answers itself with a simple glance at a newspaper. (If any of the countries involved in sectarian violence could stop looking at the past, they might have a chance to actually make progress toward a peaceful future.) Gamache is a complex character but a wholly admirable man: a devoted husband, loving father, and incomparable friend. It kind of breaks my heart to see him give so much of himself to so many people in these books, and the only one who seems to cherish him as ardently and care for him as deeply, is Reine-Marie. He seems to have this bottomless well of forgiveness and tolerance within himself. I have a lot of questions that I’d like to ask the group at some future date. I need to immerse myself in the books before I do that, however. Re-read them, that is, for the third time.
Laurie, you said that the only one who cares for him deeply is his wife but I think you may have forgotten his team. Jean-Guy, Lacoste, and in this book Emile, all care for him beyond words.
There are many that care for Gamache. It may seem that Reine is the only one at times but perhaps it’s because to Armand Reine is the one that really matters most.
When I read Bury Your Dead, I thought of my dad and how he would have loved the storylines and the continued investigation into the murder of the Hermit. This is one of my favourite books in the series for two reasons.
1. I love Quebec City and each time I visit there I fall in love with it all over again. Louise helped to bring Quebec City back to life for me in this book. I could close my eyes while reading and see, feel, taste and smell it vicariously.
2. As a Canadian and history lover, I was pleased with the research Louise did to bring out more information on Champlain than I was ever taught in school. I will always see the statue in a different light.
Should be “take a life.”
Just finished listening to “Bury Your Dead.” What a perfect title on so many levels! Was glad to find this discussion group. I would have preferred to have read the series in order, but this was the only volume in Michigan’s public ebrary.
As I listened to the story, I followed Gamache’s travels in Quebec on an map app. Joan, your Gamache tour ( or pilgrimage!) is a great idea for a future vacation!
It was touching to see 3 or 4 (3.5?) generations of policemen, with the mentoring relationships and friendships, the respect and love that developed. The story line with Gamache and Morin was simply heartbreaking. I hope there is more about the woman agent in future books.
While this is one of the finest books I have ” heard” in a long time, with layer upon layer of death buried or unburied, that that minister was the murderer seemed completely implausible. It strains credulity that his care for his ” flock” moved him to violence. Was there anything in his description or actions that really could make such an action consistent with his character? If, according to Gamache, fear is at the root of murder, it seems far fetched to say he feared so much for the future of his people, or feared possible reactions about Champlain’s burial site that he would a life. There have certainly been murderous clergy in the course of history; this particular murder by this particular clergyman doesn’t really make sense.
Pat W., A slight ‘scolding”!!! We have, as a group, agreed to NOT reveal spoilers from upcoming chapters or books – for those who have yet to read them! We’re only discussing Chapters 1 to 11 this week!
Know it’s hard to do this, I soooo want to jump in on things in last half of the book myself as events there will strongly affect responses to lists of questions provided by publishers for each week’s read. We’re trying (Yes! I know just how hard this is!) to allow fellow readers the joy, shock, disappointment, epiphanies of individual readings without being told “the end of the story” before it happens for them. I have to keep my book handy when I post to help insure that I don’t do this myself!
Now that the part 2 discussion is up, I must say that I agree. I found the minister as murderer very unconvincing.
“Bury Your Dead,” with its compelling storylines and even fuller development of Armand Gamache, is one of my favorite books of the series – so much so that when my husband and I planned a trip across Canada by train last year we decided to extend the trip to Quebec City. We live near Seattle and departed from Vancouver, B.C. On the train, I told everyone we met about the Gamache books, and as we rode along, I read “Bury Your Dead” aloud to my husband, so he would be fully prepared for the Gamache experience.
Like many other readers, I was fascinated by the history conveyed in the book, and I was (as with all of the books) enamored of the food descriptions. So naturally, we made a pilgrimage to all the Gamache sites (weeks before the Bury Your Dead walking tours began), including the places where Armand and his friend ate – in particular Chez Temporel and Paillard. We loved everything about the city. We went, of course, to the Lit and His, and we rode the Funiculaire. Though we did not stay at the landmark hotel, Le Chateau Frontenac, we did go inside it and we passed it many times and could see it from many vantage spots around the city. (We were quite pleased with our own hotel, L’Hotel du Vieux-Quebec, a delightful place where treats from Paillard are delivered to your room every morning in a basket hung on your door!) We posed beside the imposing statue of the city’s founder, Samuel de Champlain, and beside one of the many cannons that still rim the walled city. We watched the battle between the French and English on the Plains of Abraham in a miniature sound-and-light diorama at the Musee du Fort. I even went to a French bookstore where I saw “Enterrez Vos Morts” prominently displayed on a table of mystery books. Since we arrived in early May, we did not feel the frigid winter cold that Armand experienced; instead we were warmed by the spring weather and the wonderful feel of this very friendly place. Thank you, Louise Penny, for introducing it to us! And thank you for the very admirable Armand Gamache.
Such an exciting book to read. I agree with others, this is the best yet. I have read all but the last two which are waiting on my bedside table.
Any book that stretches my understanding of a culture is the top in my mind. Louise consistently challenges me in that way and I so appreciate her writing.
I have been to Quebec and stood in some of the spots where the story takes us which lent a whole different dimension to the reading.
I am from the US and did encounter just one incidence of anti English sentiment. We were lost and stopped in a small grocery store where two people were speaking French. I brought my map along and asked in my very poor French (for which I apologized profusely) directions to a campground. The shop owner wasn’t very helpful and had a smirk on her face, but the other patron was very sweet and pointed the way without using much language except a smile. I was never sure if that person was poking fun at me or what, but I choose to think he was most helpful. I respect the fact that they may have thought I was just another ugly American and did not take more time to learn the language of the country in which I was a visitor.
We were in the Quebec area for two weeks and that was the only incident we encountered…I’d say that was really good. This was back in the 1970’s.
Anyway, this book is wonderful and full of adventures/information to be researched. Thank you Louise.
This book was so different for me. I appreciated the exploration of another facet Gamache who is such a fascinating character.
After my earlier comment on how heartbreaking a tale imagine my surprise when I looked up my favorite lines from the book and found this one: “Joy doesn’t ever leave, you know. It’s always with you. And one day you’ll find it again.” I had nearly forgotten the difficulties I was going through at that time and this became one of my beacons of hope.
The themes of goodness and joy are in all of the books in the series. And hope. That is why they have such a strong pull for me. Even when it is dark, there is always hope and joy is there, somewhere, waiting to be found …. or waiting to find you when you don’t expect it.
My first book I read by Louise was “Bury Your Dead” and I only picked it up at the library because I couldn’t find anything from one of my favorite authors. I was stunned by it’s depth of emotions. I believe and always will believe that it should have won every award possible. The city descriptions, the history, everything was equally fascinating. I enjoy the other books but “Bury Your Dead” is on a par with Dickens and other “forever classics” authors.
It was the first of her books that I read, too. I completely agree with what you have written.
Karen, my former library manager was in Quebec and visited the Lit and His… She sent me an email that read, “Guess where I am? “. 🙂
I can see why many of you feel there are four story lines. As a person with a degree in history, I found the inclusion of the Champlain story quite intriguing – I didn’t know anything about it! I wrapped this part of the story into the Renaud murder story line because it involved Gamache. I do think they’re inseparable in this particular case!
Some of my favorite books make me want to do further research and I have to say that Bury Your Dead certainly falls in that category!
I’m spending my summer re-reading Louise Penny’s books and just finished Bury Your Dead this afternoon. Reading it immediately following The Brutal Telling was excellent — follows the Hermit’s murder to a very unexpected conclusion, and the further unveiling Beauvior’s growth as a more accepting man was unexpected and very pleasing.
As an American with French Canadian roots, it was gratifying to learn so much about Samuel Champlain and Quebec. Sure love books that stretch my limited knowledge –we’re always learning! Perhaps the rowboat example is true of us all — it’s much more comfortable to live in the present and look back, ignoring a future that’s so unsettling.
Thank you Louise, for your very real, well developed and layered characters as well as story lines that challenge us.