Recounting the 3,000-kilometre trip that took him from the southern to the northern extremities of Québec, the author introduces readers to a vast land of unexpected beauty, but also to the interior dimension of the physical crossing.

From the U.S. border to the Ungava Peninsula, the adventurer describes the breathtaking northern landscapes, natural borders, and toponymy. It is a place where French, English, Inuktitut, and Cree are entwined with the men and women he meets along the way, living landmarks at dizzying distances. In the watermark of this magnetic text, rich in references to literature and music, is an essential reflection on the land we call North; a wide, wild expanse that takes place more often than none to our imagination.

“I’d had a visitor during the night. The strap of my handlebar bag was torn and the front compartment was open. Part of my supplies were gone, while tracks were visible in the fresh snow. A crime scene unfolded before my eyes, leading me a few meters further on to find a gutted pouch, emptied of its food. It didn’t take long for the culprit to reveal himself: a lush-coated red fox was lounging atop a nearby mound of snow, barely deigning to cast its amber-yellow gaze upon me.”

Fluid and accessible, this essay on nordicity and the relationship to the territory reads like an adventure book and was influenced most notably by the writing of Jean Désy.