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Gamache and Charles meet for coffee at a place called Café Olimpico, which became known to locals as “Open Da Night” when some letters fell off its sign and never replaced. Visitors from outside the neighborhood would not know the cafe by its nickname. Do you have an insiders-only place like Open Da Night where you live? Can you think of any other examples of this type of place in Louise’s books?
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In the Gamache series the Inn and Spa comes to mind as an insider’s place. For the villagers that we know and love as our friends it will always be THE HADLEY HOUSE. The haunted house on the hill that unnerved our heroes to no end. That building that gave our brave officers of the law the heebie jeebies. All the glitz and glamour in the world can’t erase their visceral reaction to that building.
Also, Bill Williams’ accent comes to my mind. When he says “Whale oil beef hooked”, Gamache has no clue what he’s saying because of the regional accent Billy stills uses. Local knowledge is certainly powerful knowledge.
during our boat cruising days we used local knowledge as much as possible when cruising unfamiliar waters. Many times it was local knowledge that gave us safe passage not all the charts or GPS signals in the world.
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I came here to mention THE HADLEY HOUSE too. 🙂
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There was a cafe in Vancouver called Joe’s Cafe. It just shut down a month ago but it was a little “hole in the wall” Portuguese cafe that made brilliant cappuccinos and lattes. No fancy decor, pretty run down actually. It had an old pool table and plastic seats and a group of regulars (mostly senior gentlemen). But it’d been around the neighborhood for over 40 years, so practically every local in the area knew it. I was reminded of it when I read Louise’s description of Open Da Night, it was definitely “old world” and was not terribly cosy, yet was a fixture.
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I agree with Libby. The Hadley House is definitely a “Three Pines” insiders place. Only the locals who’ve lived there long enough will know its full sordid history! Would Sarah’s Boulangerie be another such place? I believe it’s based on the real La Rumeur Affamée? And for the detectives, maybe the fire station / train station?
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The thing that struck me about “Open Da Night”, in addition to it being a fixture in the neighborhood with long time staff, was that Armand was also a fixture, known so well that he does not need to place an order. The barista has already started to prepare his “allonge” when he walks in. That is a kind of connection that is rare in many ways. My husband and I (and Dolly the canine) have a similar experience at one of our local microbrewery tap rooms. The staff bring our usual brew before we are settled in a booth. I am not certain if all of the staff know our names but they certainly know Dolly’s and she always gets liberal pets. It is lovely and relaxing to be recognized like that.
There are a couple of similarly accepting places in other books, places where Armand and Reine-Marie are known personally and remembered. One is the cafe or bistro in Paris where they eat dinner, Juveniles. The second is Manoir Bellechase where Armand and Reine-Marie go every year for their anniversary. I expect there are others but I haven’t remembered them yet.
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When I first read the questions for discussion, I always have an immediate thought of the answers I would offer. Sometimes, I think the questions are not terribly interesting, but maybe that’s because I can’t seem to understand the point of them or what the author was trying to say with respect to the topic of the question. And often, I come to read answers by members of this group and suddenly a deeper understanding is triggered. Jane, someone else mentioned this in an earlier thread under one of your comments, so I agree with them completely. I enjoy and appreciate your perspective on the questions and often find myself thinking in a different direction after reading your comments.
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Agree that what seems like a straightforward question ends up having so many different views. I am not sure if the question authors intend that but they certainly are successful at stimulating a broad discussion.
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For many years we lived in a small town in Northern British Columbia, and there was a special ‘Open Da Night’ type of place which was actually a coffee shop and book store combined. It was called ’Books & Company’ and had a delightful ambiance; a fat purry cat prowling among the shelves, the best coffee in town, local art work on the walls. My husband and I were regular customers and the lovely woman who worked in the café section and also did most of the baking came to know us and other customers quite well. She had a certain way of talking which was both quirky and very endearing.
“You’re feeling cold today, dear? Of course you are. Would you like a piece of my pecan caramel shortbread with your coffee? Of course you would!”
It was not a grand establishment. The floors were uneven, there was an eclectic assortment of faded, shabby chairs, books were piled in heaps on top of tables and on the floor, as well as on the miscellany of shelves. I think these are the kinds of places which truly sustain and nourish our lives; the seemingly ordinary, sometimes quirky, little, tender places of welcome. They create a pattern of familiarity and nurture. Whenever I went there, I would immediately feel my soul start to relax.
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Oooh! I would love to go there.
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Yes, I agree completely. Jo-Anne, you and Jane have made me realize something about this question and topic that I had completely missed. It is exactly as Margot says above, about wondering why this question is being asked, thinking that not only is the question not very interesting, but the answers will be equally so because all I can think to do is to rifle through the books looking for names of places I’ve long forgotten, just so I have a one word answer to offer. But then it happens, as it often does here in this group, that a deeper understanding is triggered.
And I thank Libby as well for her insight to say “Local knowledge is certainly powerful knowledge.” That local knowledge was the key in providing safe passage when cruising unfamiliar waters, and that charts and GPS would have failed in that capacity. Local knowledge is trusted and valued by those who know better. (By the way Libby, your cruising adventures sound fascinating and maybe a cruising tax would be worthwhile, if you’re interested in sharing your adventures!)
So now I understand that Louise was creating that sense of familiarity again. That feeling of intrinsic trust and consequently, a sense of comfort, that builds on the richness and value that these books bring to their dedicated readers. Here, Louise is creating more instances of emotional security, something she knows her readers yearn. This scene at Open Da Night could not have taken place in Three Pines, due to logistics with the murder and maybe other important reasons I cannot think of at the moment. So instead, Louise tries to create that comfort, familiarity and trust elsewhere, with this place called Open Da Night. Very interesting!
I can also think that we have the beginnings of our own insider’s knowledge here. Who else knows how much comfort and safety an old, smelly leaking shack provides? Who else would smile when they are invited to sit on rickety chairs inside a shack with doorknobs that are broken so that sometimes you get locked out and have to bang and bang and bang to get let back in? But then once you’re in, then the warmth of the fire feels nice and the smiling faces of friends makes it all worthwhile.
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Omg. The shack description is hilarious. I love how it’s evolving! The description, that is. The shack itself seems to be devolving. 😂
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I am just kidding about the shack of course. I hope nobody takes offence.
And, I also want to qualify everything I say with, I think, maybe, it might be that this is what Louise is doing. Sometimes, I think that maybe I have a deeper level of understanding, but actually, maybe I have no clue at all. Sometimes I type too fast and need to make my comments less strong in conviction.
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We enjoy the shack jokes and are just pleased you’ve decided that we have heat. It’s starting to get cold up here in Canada! Sharing a laugh with friends is one of our favourite things to do.
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I don’t think you need to qualify your comments, in my opinion. (I say, qualifying my comment!). We’re all just presenting our ideas for discussion and sometimes there is no right or wrong, just different perspectives. And all thoughts from everyone are worthy of discussion and consideration. I hope the discussions here will always be fun, interesting, and excellent opportunities to learn, for all. Or for everyone to benefit from the discussions in whatever manner they prefer.
Also, I love a good laugh too. 🙂
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I value the diversity in thoughts and the welcoming nature of this group. To see gentle ribbing amongst members is a sign of a healthy dynamic and a friendly atmosphere, one where anyone can say anything (of course within the group rules of being respectful and kind), and feel acceptance. It’s not always the case in book clubs or on social media in general, but I do feel and overall vibe of kindness in this group, which I appreciate greatly.
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mei lan I’ll have to sort through my memories – 30 + years of cruising – and see what I can come up with to satisfy a cruising tax. Thanks for the assignment.
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To be honest, this question had me stumped. The only thing I could think of was what Mei Lan said about looking through the previous books for places, but I did not have time to do that. But this conversation has called to mind three places in the St. Louis area which I have heard about and are unusual. I have not been to them, but their names are Whisker Station Cat Cafe and Lounge, Cheshire Grin Cat Cafe and Mauhaus Cat Cafe and Lounge. All three are places to obtain coffee and something to eat while petting cats who are available for adoption.
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I think that all the examples mentioned here are excellent responses to this question. I have little to add, other than, I suppose, we might count the B&B, bistro, and Myrna’s bookstore in Three Pines as somewhat hidden local gems, since they apparently don’t advertise much (Gabri doesn’t like to be too busy or overbooked, I recall). And the hermit’s/Vincent Gilbert’s cabin is a place of comfort and quiet for some people. Three Pines itself fits the description, actually, as it’s mostly known only to the locals, but is appreciated by so many. And in addition to the restaurant in Paris that Armand, Reine-Marie, Stephen, and the rest of the family were well -recognized and taken care of, I thought of that small garden in Paris where Armand proposed to Reine-Marie — it wasn’t particularly well-known, but it was beloved by many; and I thought of that isolated local diner where Armand “met God” and lemon meringue pie as he made his choice to go ahead and arrest Arnot& Co.; and those places along the journey to find Peter where Armand, JG, Clara, and Myrna stopped and refreshed themselves (the small restaurant that had restrooms, found by JG’s “superpower;” that colorful diner full of the local fishermen and women, where Myrna danced and JG made yet another conquest of an elder woman’s heart, and gained a rain hat)! I’m sure there are probably more examples, but these were the thoughts that crossed my mind.
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Great examples and fun to remember, especially the ones from “The Long Way Home” So much for nothing to add, it seems to me.
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I agree with Nancy. This question had me stumped too and I didn’t think I’d be commenting at all, yet here I am. Firstly, Jane, I saw a comment by Mei Lan somewhere else and I agree with her completely. You are next level in kindness, and here’s just one example.
The responses here are always excellent and I am always so impressed with the depth of knowledge and the range of insights from this group. Building on what everyone has said, I wonder if this question points to another layer in Louise’s storytelling. Just as the accent results in greater familiarity and trust, so does common knowledge of a local’s hangout. These details support Gamache’s instinct to trust.
The familiarity of this type of place is comforting, and I wonder if the question invites readers to better identify with the characters by asking us to identify similar places in our lives. Jo-Anne and Jane use the word “relaxing” and Libby used the word “safe” in describing personal experiences with a similar place. Maybe we feel more emotional safety because we can identify with the characters who feel that comfort as Mei Lan mentioned? Maybe by creating the subjective bias towards trust, Louise could ratchet up the tension with all the ways Charles was untrustworthy and thus create more suspense? Did she want to give us some substitute emotional safety or did she want to create more anxiety? Why do you think Louise set this up this way?
And then with the last part of the question to think back and pick out instances in previous books in the series with this type of place…hats off to Susan and Libby and Jane for bringing up these examples. Today, my friend asked me what the weather was like yesterday and it took me a minute to think. And my response was, “I don’t remember”. True story. I wonder now though, if we were to examine these past examples in more detail, whether we could identify the reason that Louise made the choice to create places like Open Da Night in those books. Was she giving readers emotional safety or were there other reasons? I read a comment once from another reader that she had a theory about lemon meringue pie and when and why it appeared in each of the books…perhaps that’s a similar type of series wide question.
I do agree with the insiders terms like shack and tax that’s developing here for us. It’s fun to see all the references to poor starving cats, or cats who are hoarders, or wild animals showing up at a kind human’s door and know exactly who we’re sharing a laugh about. It’s relaxing and safe and fun and interesting. This thread and this shack remind me of Cheers, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”, and I appreciate belonging to an insider’s-only place with all of you.
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Well said! I appreciate the group, too. It’s always interesting to see what people have to say and share. I respect the depth of thought that goes into so many of these postings!
Now, nerd that I am, I actually looked up the places where our characters were eating while reading this book, in case I get to Montreal some day (I made it to the Eastern Townships this year–yay!– but didn’t get to the cities; another time, I hope to). Some of you may already know this, but I didn’t: Open Da Night is a real place, as is the Restaurant Lemeac, and Chez Mere Grand. And from the way LP described them, I assume she may have possibly been to these places, and used her impressions of them. Thus, the comfortable vibe that Open Da Night gave off may be a real feeling one gets if one is familiar with the place, and she used it to create a place that Charles thought Armand would find comfortable to visit. He wanted somewhere safe, local, a bit out of the way, perhaps (and perhaps LP needs to seek out places like this on occasion?)— where the people he was afraid of would be unlikely to show up. Yet still, he was nervous, and unsure, as well as outright lying. It lent an air of mystery to the scene that definitely ratcheted up the tension. If he can’t feel safe there, then where exactly CAN he feel safe? Who can reach him here? And does this put Armand in danger, too? Is it a set-up? And the innocent bystanders, going about their daily, familiar routines–that adds even more tension. If we, as readers, can put ourselves in Charles and Armand’s place, and consider what that must have been like for them having a mundane, comfortable environment be suddenly so charged with potential danger, then I think it would deliver an extra visceral punch.
BTW, I didn’t try to look up the dive that Armand met Shona in— I thought that if it were real, I wouldn’t be interested in going there anyway!
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Well, you left me curious! I knew that Restaurant Lemeac was a real place. I looked it up when my husband and I visited Montreal last spring but we never made it there. I did not know about the others to look them up. However, intrigued by the possibility there was a Cher Mama, I googled the name. There is a Cher Maman but it looks nothing like a place where there is an ant stuck to the bottom of the jug of syrup or green matter on the croissant. While I was using Google, I looked up the Montreal City Mission. It is also a real place and has a 110 year history of serving the vulnerable. I believe LP weaves a lot of real places into these stories. These discussion questions open up so many paths to consider!
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I totally agree– so much food for thought, in the books, and in these questions. So much out there to learn and think about.
I love that you looked up the Mission, and Chez Mama. I’m rather relieved that you didn’t find
that restaurant! I suspect that if there was such a place, LP wouldn’t have been able to publish their real name unless moldy baked goods, ant-decorated honey, and sullen wait-staff were their specialty! But the other ones that she mentioned sounded good– and maybe her mentions will stimulate some business for them. Perhaps some day there will be a tour organized for places in Montreal that are mentioned in the books, like they have with the Bury Your Dead tour in Quebec City, and the Three Pines tour out of the Knowlton area. I’d be interested!
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I agree with several others here that when I first read the question I didn’t really know what to answer because I was stuck in thinking of cafes but when I read through everyone’s answers it made me realize insiders-only places can be all sorts of places. Libby, you mentioning the Hadley House got me remembering about a place that as a child all the kids knew about. It was a bit like a “haunted house.” There was this creek that went through my old elementary school that drained under a road. It was covered up with wooden slats so that people wouldn’t go in but of course we kids could squeeze through. When you looked inside the tunnel it would be bright with the sunlight but then go totally dark. It was a spooky place and I recall there was a rumour that a kid got swept away and hurt so it probably was not too safe to sneak into when the creek was flooding.But all the local kids knew about it and we’d dare each other to go in and see how far down we’d go. But of course the school monitors would chastise us and demand we get out. It was definitely an “insiders-only” place for all the kids. As for Three Pines places, there are, as you all have pointed out, many but thought I would add St. Thomas’s Church.
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