Jocelyne Cazin’s second novel, entitled Funestes récoltes (Deadly Harvests), is highly topical in terms of immigration and agriculture in Florida.
With over 35 years of experience and as the first woman to cover news stories in Quebec, the journalist agreed to talk about it to Le Soleil de la Floride with the frankness and openness that characterize her, even in her books.
Synopsis
The thriller explores the exploitation of foreign agricultural workers in Quebec: « When five Guatemalan temporary workers hired by a farmer in Saint-Valérien-de-Milton disappear, the farmer turns to Blaise and Victor, private detectives from La Firme, to conduct the investigation. On the trail of the vanished men, the two sleuths trace the source of a vast network of human exploitation. […] Disappearance or kidnapping?“ That is the question posed by this gripping realistic novel.
Why is Funestes récoltes described as realistic fiction?
”What you see in the news is quite similar to what you find in my novel. I clearly based it on real events, situations that have been experienced and which, unfortunately, are still being experienced, » says Ms. Cazin. “And since I am a journalist before being a writer, I did the work of a journalist.” She went into the field, including to Dundee, in southwestern Quebec, thanks to Stéphane Gendron, who inspired the writer on this subject. Ms. Cazin also details the findings of Karine Tremblay, a private detective. She also visited farms and met with temporary workers, in addition to working with the Sûreté du Québec with a major crimes investigator. Using her own investigation and her own mind, Jocelyne Cazin finally wrote an intriguing work of fiction based on real events!
The parallel between Funestes récoltes and what we see in Florida?
This parallel could be drawn with Spain, France, or Greece, but as Ms. Cazin points out, “There are many temporary workers in Florida, as well as illegal workers. So the kinds of situations I put all my characters through in my book could very well be translated into English or Spanish, because people who speak those languages or who are from those countries would recognize themselves in some way.”
There is a touch of humor and lightness in the characters of Blaise and Victor, the two private detectives who seem to complement each other. Is this intentional?
“Yes, I did add a touch of humor to lighten up a subject that is extremely heavy,” explains the writer.
“If some of Blaise or Victor’s remarks make you smile, that’s definitely the goal, because I don’t like to be totally heavy, and that’s why I lightened up the personalities of Blaise and Victor.” It should be noted that in the novel, Blaise is French and Victor is Quebecois. Ms. Cazin also points out that all the places in her book are real, including St-Valérien-de-Milton, the municipality where her parents from France settled when they arrived in Quebec.
After a distinguished career in investigative journalism, what does writing novels allow you to do?
Ms. Cazin replies: “It gives me all the freedom of a fiction writer. I can write exactly what I want to write, whereas when I was working as a journalist, I had to base my work on real facts and not alter the truth. Now, I can transform my characters however I want.”
In fact, Jocelyne Cazin never thought she would write a novel! But when the editor of Flammarion Québec asked her to write her first novel, Pire que l’éternité (Worse than Eternity), « My God, it was wonderful, because I could write whatever I wanted and no one could tell me it didn’t make sense, because I could let my imagination run wild. All the happiness and pleasure of being a novelist,” exclaims the author.
Summary of Funestes récoltes in a single sentence
”It’s a realistic work of fiction that deals head-on with illegal immigrants and temporary foreign workers. We enter the world of illegal agriculture, the world of the dark web and crime, but also the world of humanity somewhere,” says Jocelyne Cazin. ”A plot that, from beginning to end, I hope will leave you eager to read more from Jocelyne Cazin. »
What does Florida mean to Ms. Cazin?
Although Jocelyne Cazin has been spending five months of the winter in Florida since 2008, that doesn’t stop her from traveling elsewhere in the world, such as Egypt or London.
What does she like about Florida? “The warmth, and as Dominique Michel says, I hate winter. And I love golf!” In addition to tennis, pickleball, and swimming laps in the morning, Ms. Cazin lives in a secure community with many interesting activities, which also makes her feel well supported. “For me, Florida represents the joy of living.” She adds that it has been scientifically proven that you are likely to live ten years longer because you don’t have bad stress, such as going out in the morning and scraping the windshield of your car at -30˚C (-22˚F), for example: “Florida is very positive for me. First of all, we have a good chance of extending our lives, and then we live them peacefully. Age no longer exists when you’re in Florida, and that’s fantastic.”
Fun fact
Since Jocelyne Cazin lives by projects, she is always very active: “One fine morning, I signed up with an artist agency (Caroline Johnson’s), and a week later, I was offered a role in the series Indéfendable.” Her role as a woman struggling with Alzheimer’s and abused by a nurse in a nursing home sparked thousands of reactions on social media. Another realistic fiction…
