When Andrews attempted to understand why Dorothy Joudrie had tried to kill her husband, and to write Joudrie’s story, she began to examine her own life, her own expectations — those she had of herself and those others had of her. She also realized that telling the story of anyone is an intricate and often ephemeral pursuit. Any story she wrote could only be her version of Joudrie’s experience. Nevertheless, it was important to be as honest as she could about her interpretation of that life. She determined to show carefully and accurately the damage that had been done to one woman — damage that is still being done to many others — through prejudice, attitudes, traditions and the institutions that are still the foundation of our society, and of our lives, everyday.
The result is a fascinating account of events leading up to the trial, the trial itself and the effect of Joudrie’s trial on the life of Audrey Andrews.
Audrey Andrews, after teaching for several years in the Department of English at the University of Calgary, is currently a freelance writer. Her original article about Dorothy Joudrie was published in NeWest Review, and her book reviews have appeared in Arctic: Journal of the Arctic Institute of North America, Canadian Ethnic Studies and the Calgary Herald.