In 2019, Miriam Toews' novel Ce qu'elles disent was published in French, later adapted into a film in 2023 by Sarah Polley. The story follows a group of women in a Mennonite community who, for the first time in their lives, speak out about the sexual abuse they have endured. The book explores the tension between free speech and the constraints imposed by silence, culture, and trauma, as told through an autobiographical lens by the Canadian author. The novel begins in April 2023, when Miriam Toews is invited to a literary event in Mexico. At the event, writers from around the world are asked to read a text they wrote for the occasion on the theme: "why do I write?" This seemingly simple task causes the author great distress. As a result, the book becomes a long, reflective journey through her life, uncovering memories and questions she had never considered before. She eventually arrives at a clear realization: she writes because her sister asked her to. "I have just realized this," she writes. As a teenager, she was traveling in Europe, and her sister had asked her to write about her journey every day. Her sister, who years later committed suicide after a period in which she had not spoken a single word. In this fragmented narrative, Miriam Toews recounts her daily life with energy and humor. However, through exchanges with the organizers of the literary event and conversations with her grandchildren, she delves into the unsaid—exploring the Mennonite community her family belonged to, the Plautdietsch, a German-speaking dialect that is the community's official language. She reflects on childhood, the role of language in her world at that time, and the omnipresence of religion, which governed every social interaction. She also confides in the mystery that, in her view, defines her sister's life—an endless search to put words to the inexplicable. "My sister is the austere, blank margin that surrounds our disorderly prose." The book, titled A Truce Without Peace by Miriam Toews, was translated from English (Canada) by Paul Gagné. It is 208 pages long and costs 21.50 €. It is currently available in bookstores.