Volkswagen Blues is a fictional novel following the story of a writer, who is suffering from a severe case of writer's block, that takes a long road trip. In his Volkswagen, the author travels from place to place, along the way coming up with ideas and discovering his cultural background.
The novel is set in Canada during the 1970s. With this period, the author explains, came a large group of French-speaking Quebecians who thought it wise to try to declare independence from the rest of Canada. As we know, this did not end up happening, but it plays a role in conflict in the story. The idea of secession from the country isn't the main problem in the story, rather, the main ideas that each person considers in times like that, like cultural unity and self-actualization.
The main character of the novel is Mr. Jacques Waterman, who happens to have the same name as the author of the novel. Once a proclaimed writer, Jacques is now on this road trip to "discover something new". Upon waking one morning, he meets a young woman, with whom he converses in conversation. The woman's name is Pitsemine, and she has ancestry to the Canadian First Nations. Pitsemine continues on the trip with Jacques
Later, Jacques finds a postcard in his minibus, that came from his brother Theo. Once in contact, the two no longer talk to each other out of reason or annoyance. Jacques suddenly decides that the rest of the trip will be dedicated to finding Theo once again.
On this basis, the first stop is St. Louis in America, as this is where the postcard came from. His main language is French, but Jacques finds it hard to speak with the Americans. However, this doesn't discourage him from continuing his journey through the states, visiting California, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan, and many more areas. Each time Jacques and Pitsemine arrive somewhere, he asks her about the "first contact" with Europeans and Native Americans in modern-day Canada. She continues to tell him that natives viewed it as an invasion.
Back in Canada, this time, in Toronto, a security guard tells Jacques that the police will know where to find Theo. This makes Jacques contemplate if he has been a good brother, as with leaving Theo alone in the wilderness of the world.
Upon more extensive searching, the two find Theo, but he is paralyzed and has lost all memory of Jacques. This makes Jacques even more upset and thinks about how America has only brought disappointment to its citizens, even though it is classified as the land of opportunity. Relieved from writer's block, Jacques now claims that he has something to write about.
