Abel J. Morneault Memorial Library

Do you know where you came from, who came before you, and what you should leave behind?

Forty years after Patrick L. Pelletier found an unusual piece of paper that compelled him to write this book, those questions were answered. Cecile and Emile is the true story of two ordinary people. Their life could resemble those of your parents or grandparents. The story comes from thousands of papers the two left behind, which strangely defined their lives. The documents – known as the “family treasure” – also drove Pelletier to research why thousands of homes and farms were abandoned in the vast Aroostook County of Maine for decades. Never credibly explained anywhere, his findings blame the federal government for mainly causing that county’s massive depopulation, and severely diminishing the deep-rooted ancestral culture of its unique Valley.

All is told through Cecile and Emile’s rural living of the 20th century in Aroostook’s St. John Valley. Their story explores how lives were affected by the Roaring Twenties, the Florida Land Boom, the Great Depression, the Maine potato industry failure, and a deserted military project. Pelletier reveals the many tragedies in the families of Cecile and Emile and candidly tells how they were impacted by them. Yet, he interjects occasional subtle humor and leaves unanswered questions for the reader’s curiosity.