What are readers saying about Philippe Bergeron of Out of Hiding?

Readers connected with Philippe in Out of Hiding. Here’s my proof:

Sandy says: Ms Kerick does a fantastic job with her character development. We fully understand where Philippe’s pain comes from and can sympathize with him. So much so that I may have shed a tear…or two. Okay, more than two, but this poor broken man, who felt all alone, who thrived on being invisible needed someone strong to love him and care for him.

 

And Tina agrees:  Philippe is so sad and so broken, I just loved his vulnerability and the great deal of love stored up in him.

 

 

Mare saw him very clearly and loved what she saw: I loved Philippe. I loved his vulnerability, his fears, the way he hid. I loved every single solitary random thought that he had in his head. I loved him. I loved how insignificant he thought he was, he was anything BUT insignificant. Philippe had a wealth of love stored up in him that he was so SCARED to let come out. I sympathized with him, I routed for him from beginning to end. I waited patiently for him to figure it out. I let out a breath of relief when self discovery was made. He’s so sad and broken really.

 

 

Christy also appreciated Philippe’s broken soul: Philippe is introverted, shy, vulnerable, scared, simple in his tastes, loyal, a free-spirited hippie, loving, smart, and completely adrift in his life with absolutely no idea who he is or what he wants. A shoulder injury has sidelined Philippe’s job as a commercial fisherman, and it is that, along with love for his brother and his niece, Sophie, that has him chaperoning her around New York City for a summer.

AJ phrased it simply: Phil- a very lost soul

 

TM’ comments showed that her grasp of the character was clear: …Philippe just wants to be invisible. After the death of his mother years ago, something inside him broke. He’s spent the last several years literally hiding out, until his brother talked him into chaperoning Sophie this summer.

 

Anna’s remarks let me know that I had hit a home run with my characterization of Philippe: The MC, Philippe, was quite convincing to me, his inner monologue rang true, and the telling of his story soon found me rooting for him, hard. His vulnerability was what struck me the most. I so adore a character who stands there and learns how to say what he feels in his heart.

 

And Kimber’s comments were simple and to the point but spoke very clearly: Phil was a lonely man who learned to turn off his feelings when his mother died.

 

 

PMG’s relates to his experience as a fisherman: This book takes place in NYC, and the fisherman, Philippe, is really a fish out of water. But Philippe is another of Kerick’s sensitive, damaged men, and he soon realizes that he can hide from all his pain as well in the crowds of the city as he can in the empty expanse of ocean.

 

Celina said: Philippe Bergeron thought he was pretty good at hiding away from the world. After his mom’s passing, he pretty much left it by taking up work with fishing boats and fishing off the New England coast for a couple of years. Lost among the stars and the sea, he worked on his armor and isolation.

 

But I think the most profound and rewarding words (to me as an author) came from CC: It has been a very long time since I connected so strongly, right off the bat, with a character written by an author who is totally new to me. ‘Out of Hiding’ is my very first Mia Kerick…I guess you could say I was a Mia Kerick virgin up until now. There was something about her writing, and about Philippe in particular, that just reached out and grabbed me in the most astonishingly visceral manner. I almost felt as if I’d been punched in the gut, and for someone who reads as much as I do, it was a very pleasurable change of pace.

Philippe is introverted, shy, vulnerable, scared, simple in his tastes, loyal, a free-spirited hippie, loving, smart, and completely adrift in his life with absolutely no idea who he is or what he wants.

 

How amazing it is to be an author. To create a character and to have him seen and understood, even cried for…and truly KNOWN by my readers. There is nothing better!!

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