Marie Laberge’s New Novel Explores Assisted Dying and the Essence of Living

“Dix jours,” the latest novel by celebrated author and playwright Marie Laberge, delves into the profound and complex subject of medical assistance in dying. Laberge, who will mark 50 years of her artistic career in 2025, articulates this theme through the intimate journal of a woman who has chosen this path. However, the book predominantly meditates on “the hard desire to live that doesn’t extinguish easily,” as noted by Laberge in a recent interview.

While speaking at her favorite café on Laurier Avenue, Laberge reveals, “The most surprising thing with this book, and I hope others feel the same, is the intense sense of living I experienced while writing it. It wasn’t depressing at all! I’ve never felt so light and convinced of my aliveness.”

In her character’s journey, Laberge emphasizes living in the present moment, giving unconditional love, and cherishing time without grievances. The narrative also poignantly addresses maternal love, general affections, and desires, approaching these topics with the clarity often brought by the end of life.

To write this reflective yet thought-provoking novel, Laberge insisted on letting her protagonist speak without projecting her own views. “It’s not about me facing my death. I never wanted to leave her perspective. I wanted her to reveal herself,” explains Laberge.

Marie Laberge stresses that “Dix jours” is not an advocacy piece for or against medical assistance in dying, which she considers more a captivating starting point for a novel. “Because it’s pure death,” she remarks, referring to the inevitability of the end, noted symbolically through the imagery of flowing sand in an hourglass.

Talking about her own stride through her artistic journey, Laberge, who began her career at the Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Québec in 1975, reflects on the passage of time and the challenge of lasting in the industry. “I spent the first 20 years trying to break through and the last 20 trying to last!” she admits candidly.

Throughout these decades, Denise Gagnon, a close friend, and actress, was a constant presence in Laberge’s life and work, participating actively in her plays and being the first reader of her books. Gagnon passed away in August, a loss Laberge feels deeply.

Marie Laberge looks forward to reconnecting with her readers during upcoming book fairs, welcoming the mix of emotions her book might evoke. “It’s alright, my arms are wide,” she states with a comforting openness, expressing her readiness to embrace her audience in shared reflection.