The Two Fathers

This flow traces Loïc’s divided attachment to his biological father and adoptive father, culminating in the rupture that shapes his childhood.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Child Without a Mother

A Child Without a Mother A birth marked by death Loïc is born during a traumatic delivery in which Marie-Ange D’Anjou dies. A second fetus is not recognized, and the infant is left weak and close to death. Adoption as rescue Guillaume D’Anjou and Marie-Louise D’Anjou take the baby into their home. Their care gives him a family, but the unspoken circumstances of his birth leave an enduring sense of absence.

Two Men Called Father

Two Men Called Father Different forms of parenthood Guillaume offers daily care, steadiness, and affection. Alcide Bolduc, the biological father, appears intermittently, arriving with the freedom and danger of an aviator who cannot settle into ordinary responsibility. A child’s divided belonging Loïc has no mature language for the difference between blood and care. He loves Guillaume as his father while remaining fascinated by the distant man he calls his biological father.

The Airplane Ride

The Airplane Ride A rare adventure After a small earthquake shakes Touladi, Guillaume lets Loïc fly with Alcide. The boy experiences the village from above and sees how fragile his familiar home appears from the air. A temporary accord The flight briefly lets the two fathers coexist in Loïc’s imagination. The child can enjoy Alcide’s world without yet losing the security associated with Guillaume.

The Bonfire Quarrel

The Bonfire Quarrel A custody dispute erupts Guillaume comes to take Loïc home from Alcide’s bonfire. Alcide invokes his claim as the biological father, while Guillaume insists that he has custody and has raised the boy. The child is torn between them The argument exposes the hostility between the D’Anjou and Bolduc families. Loïc runs to Guillaume, but the quarrel leaves him ashamed, frightened, and unable to reconcile his two loyalties.

An Unfinished Farewell

An Unfinished Farewell A father disappears Alcide’s plane vanishes during a winter flight from Sept-Îles toward Schefferville. Loïc imagines his father lost in the snow and sky, a disappearance that offers no body or final conversation. One bond remains Guillaume continues to raise Loïc, but his own heart disease weakens him. The child’s security rests increasingly on the adoptive father whose death will later make the loss permanent.

August 1945

1945 to 1951

October 13, 1951

October 13, 1951, evening

February 1953