Sophie Grégoire and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have been very active since announcing their separation in August last year, either giving interviews to the media or publishing books that blow up their past.
Her new book, Closer Together, will be available on April 23.
In the book, Sophie reflects on her own upbringing and marriage to Trudeau, "reflecting on her own personal journey in search of self-knowledge, acceptance, and empowerment, drawing on the expertise of top psychologists, psychiatrists, scientists, and thought leaders." ”
However, Globe and Mail said readers who want to get a glimpse into the details of their marriage and separation may be disappointed that the book doesn't overshare them. Looking at the introduction, this book is more like a "spiritual exploration" autobiographical book.
Marriage to Trudeau is only part of the book
Although the book involves some descriptions of Trudeau, such as when they went on their first date, Trudeau turned into a master of love words: "I am 31 years old this year, and I have been waiting for you for 31 years, let's skip the stage of falling in love and go straight to marriage!"
Or after marriage, Trudeau needs to fall asleep for an average of 3 minutes a day, and he has deliberately fallen on the ski slopes and stairs just to make his wife smile.
But the book is more about Sophie herself. She talks about her teenage experience, when she was 4 years old, her family moved from Sainte-Adèle, Quebec, to Montreal. At school, she was a good and hardworking student, who loved sports and pursued boys, and life was not all smooth sailing, she suffered from anorexia due to body anxiety.
Growing up, she was still passionate about sports and adventure, such as surfing, diving with sharks, and dancing, and Sophie learned slit (dance moves) in her 30s and can still do it.
She is enthusiastic, cries easily, speaks contagiously, speaks quickly, was nicknamed "Tornado", and was once a passionate lover.
In the book, Sophie explicitly thinks about her identity: "The truth about me is that now I am a mother of 3 children, a woman, a friend, a partner, a sister, a trusted, fragile but courageous ally".
Trudeau is an "ally" and no longer a "companion"
"Allies" refers to Trudeau. Sophie says she started writing books before they separated.
Marriage to Trudeau – from the beginning to the parting – taught Sophie to think about intimacy.
"We all tend to stick to things we're used to – like a habit, a relationship, a job, or even a favorite pair of shoes," she says. Sometimes we worry that if we step out of our comfort zone, we won't find the same comfort. Or we fear that if we change, we will somehow fail, feeling lonely, uncertain. ”
"But the truth is that when we embrace change, especially when we let go of what is holding us back, we can grow in a positive way. ”
Sophie also expressed obvious affection and concern for Trudeau: "Even if we are no longer a couple, I know that our shared sense of humor will always help us through the storm." ”
"How a person reconstructs a relationship is a great way to show the qualities of a person," she said in the interview, "and I'm proud of my relationship with my partner [referring to Trudeau]."
"Sometimes life teaches us that by letting go, we liberate ourselves and our loved ones... We don't have to break and end relationships to reconstruct them. ”
Sophie曾"陪"特鲁多经历威胁和网暴
Separation aside, Sophie and Trudeau's family has been through a lot together. They have received death threats and seen people driving around posting abusive anti-Trudeau slogans. Sophie said she and her daughter were in the waiting room of the hospital when a patient walked in and angrily told the front desk that he had a "Trudeau cold" (possibly a reference to Covid).
In a live interview on Instagram, Sophie saw people commenting on her figure: "If I marry her, I'll let her go for breast augmentation".
Today, Sophie continues her media career in addition to writing. In the book, she offers a critical reflection on the age of social media. She said that there are a lot of unrealistic and unhealthy lifestyles displayed online.
"We often betray ourselves and are taught to hate ourselves... Pursue the 'right' weight, the 'right' eyelashes, the 'right' hair, the 'right' teeth, the 'right' cheeks, and even the 'right' sexual organs... We want to be young, we want to be 'perfect', we want to be 'ourselves' who we are not ourselves. ”
In the interview, Sophie categorically refused to accept this "self-betrayal". The world, she said, needs us to express ourselves authentically. As a media person, "I will fight to the last breath so that humanity has the ability to become a creative self without having to accept this information that does not really exist".