Whereas Just Fine had as its central element water, rivers, deltas, springs, and movement from inner landscapes to the sea and open spaces, A Fine Passage has as its central element air, wind, planes, music, and voices from around the world, underscoring the ideas of liberty and sensuality that motivate the book.Terry and Carmen fly to France, and Hans criss-crosses the world with his unfinished Bruegel jigsaw puzzles and his diamonds in tow. New characters are introduced: Claudia, a young and wonderfully independent and confident girl who is asked to post a curious letter for a stranger she's met in the airport; the Woman Who Smokes Only in Public and loves a man who throws out his handkerchiefs on Thursdays; the Man Who Didn't Seem to Be Reading and can't decide where to settle down; and a rabbi or pope who shares his wisdom and unique spirituality with his fellow air travellers.
A Fine Passage is the second work in the trilogy which also includes Just Fine and Life's Little Difficulties.
France Daigle is the author of eleven novels, including Real Life, 1953, A Fine Passage, Life’s Little Difficulties, and Just Fine, which won the France Acadie Prize, the Prix Éloize, and the Prix Antonnie-Maillet-Acadie Vie. She lives in Moncton New Brunswick.
Robert Majzels is a novelist, poet, playwright, and translator. He won the Governor General's Literary Award for French to English translation for Just Fine, from the French Pas Pire, by France Daigle (2000). Robert lives in Calgary.