Vanished [2005]
(in The Collected Radio Drama of Marie-Claire Blais, Cormorant Press, Toronto, 2007)
Original
Résumé The departure (disappearance) of the youngest son of a middle-class family badly shakes the vision of the world held by one of his brothers, a doctor, like their father. The older son wonders if he should follow the family dictates and live for the service of others, or just follow his instincts for liberty and individualism, like the one who is missing. His quest involves discussions with his parents and with the brother who has returned temporarily. Extrait ROBERT: See, you've still got the same friends. / GÉRARD: I'm not as demanding as you are. I like anyone I talk to, who talks to me / ROBERT: You never choose, do you? Don't you ever think about what kind of people they are? / GÉRARD: No, when you look for people's qualities, you come up empty. It means loving within certain laws and conditions. That's not how I love. / ROBERT: Look, I have no idea what's happening to me. I can't love anyone since you've left us. I wish I could just change my skin, but I guess I'm not strong enough. » |