Port Alberni artist and author Karen Poirier has published a new novel, this one based on the true story of a Second World War soldier and his experience as a prisoner of war.
Poirier's latest novel, One Thousand Days, follows the protagonist Lloyd, who is deployed to England in 1940 after a "whirlwind romance" with his sweetheart, Olivene. His tour of duty lasts until August 1942, when he is swept into a devastating and bloody battle on the beaches of Dieppe in northern France. He is captured and becomes a prisoner of war, with readers following his struggles, his escape attempts and his march to freedom and home.
The book is actually based on a true story. Poirier's father was a member of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada in the Second World War. He was captured in the Dieppe Raid and spent two and a half years as a prisoner of war.
"These were stories my mother had told me, and my dad had shared before he passed," Poirier explained. "I tend to be a creative person, full of ideas, and this story was particularly special to me, for a lot of reasons."
One Thousand Days was published in November 2024 after "quite a few years" of work, said Poirier. Much of the text is supported by real-life letters. After her mother's death, Poirier found a drawer full of journals and letters that had been written during the five years of the Second World War that her parents were apart. When her father was captured, it took six weeks before her mother knew what had happened to him.
"These were the days before computers and instant communication," said Poirier. "These letters were probably a huge source of comfort to soldiers overseas. They lived for those letters they got."
Poirier is a painter. She mostly paints watercolours, with some work in graphite and acrylics, from her home studio in the Alberni Valley. Not content with just one discipline, Poirier started taking writing classes at North Island College with instructor Derek Hanebury. She then went on to complete a pair of writing programs through Simon Fraser University.
"I really enjoyed it, and decided to carry on with it," she said. "I'd been painting for a lot of years, and writing became another medium to create with. I found it quite interesting."
She's usually working on one or the other — but never both at once, she said with a laugh.
"I can't do both in one day," she said. "I believe that I'm a visual thinker, and that has affected the way that I write."
Poirier's first novel, Across a Prairie Sky, was published in 2014 and was based on her mother’s tales of her early years on a Manitoba homestead. She then wrote and illustrated a children's book, Ronald and Donald. But One Thousand Days was a very different project that involved lots of research and re-writing.
"It was a huge learning curve," said Poirier. "There were many drafts. But I learned an awful lot. When you read the history, it becomes real. It's the small little details that stand out."
Poirier will be launching her book with an official event at the Royal Canadian Legion Br. 293 (Victoria Quay) on Saturday, Feb. 1. All proceeds from the book will be donated to Wounded Warriors Canada when the runners come through the Alberni Valley at the end of February.
"It's a wonderful organization," said Poirier. "I like the fact that they support not just military personnel, but police and first responders. There's a lot they have to deal with, a lot of trauma they have to absorb."
The book launch will run from 1-3 p.m. Admission is free. Copies of One Thousand Days will be available there for purchase, or can be ordered online through www.amazon.ca.
If you miss her at the Legion, Poirier will also be the featured reader at the Wednesday, Feb. 26 Electric Mermaid live reading event at Char's Landing.
