The writer Emma Cote discusses her debut novel Unrest (Anvil Press, 2022), with Joseph Planta.

Unrest by Emma Cote (Anvil Press, 2022). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Unrest

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Mylène Andrews, our central character in the new novel by Emma Cote, Unrest, is a mortician. She spends her days dealing with death, the death of others, and is seemingly unclear about how to deal with one in her family. Her mother has died, and though they were estranged, they’re brought back together as Mylène finds postcards left behind; messages that were unmailed. They were written at various graveyards that her mother Cerise had visited before her death. So as a way to connect, she sets off in her hearse to go to each place across the United States and parts of Canada. The book provides often comical situations that our mortician encounters along the way. There are people puzzled by and are often uneasy or bewildered by it all. Naturally this offers a glimpse as to a lot of our own unease around death. Some can prepare for it as much as they can, but very few can talk openly about it. Ms. Cote joins me now, and I’ll ask her about this book, about the writing of it, which was part of the 43^rd Annual 3-Day Novel Writing Contest, which she won. I’ll ask about the themes in the book, about death, about mourning, and the media. Over the course of Mylène’s travels she attracts the attention of the press, which provides a terrific insight as to what we all find interesting thanks of media coverage. This debut novel is published by Anvil Press. Emma Cote grew up in a small town in Northern Ontario. She studied journalism, English literature, and creative writing, and recently completed a postgraduate certificate in publishing. This is her debut novel. She joined me from Wawa, Ontario late last month. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Emma Cote; Ms. Cote, good morning.

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