Valentine in Montreal by Heather O’Neill

A treat!

Here, we follow Valentine, a 23-year-old orphan working in a dépanneur at a Montreal metro station. While others scramble through the subway stations to get to where they are going, Valentine experiences the underground as a world of her own, a solace, carefully consuming her surroundings and observing those who rush past. One day, Valentine notices her doppelgänger on the platform below the dépanneur and follows her as she travels along the metro line.

The novel is fast-paced (it was actually serialized weekly in the Gazette with action in every chapter, leading me to practically inhale it) and reminded me of a grown Alice in Wonderland. Valentine follows her doppelgänger down the rabbit hole into an unknown world of oddities, meeting peculiar characters along the way, all in what felt like a state of reverie. O’Neill’s writing is compelling and fun and Arizona’s illustrations were enchanting throughout. Recognizing all the familiar locations and references was the cherry on top 🍒

An amusing read overall!