En Passant delves into the Financial Crisis of 2008. A Montréal native working in London, David is trying to stay afloat while the financial markets plunge in disarray. He and an entire team of strategists are being laid off, but it will take an evening walk with his colleague Clarissa, which ends disturbingly, for David's world to finally unravel. He has become the office scapegoat overnight.
As he grapples with the aftermath of this episode, David goes back and forth between London and Montréal, encountering a series of eclectic characters. Most tread with care, except for Rory, who has no qualms shaking his worldview. All will play a role on the chaotic chessboard that has become his life. Painstakingly, the once-passionate player finds the moves required to win the great endgame, only to then reset the rules altogether.
Those who do not study history are bound to repeat it. Psychologically rich and unafraid to hint at deeper truths, David's comeback story is more relevant today than ever. The reader will feel compelled to ponder: "What if this not-so-distant past were to repeat itself tomorrow?"
Ileana Stoica, PhD is both a scientific and a creative writer. Her memoir, Where the Heart Isn't, published by Europe Books in June 2025, is a poignant account of cultural itinerancy.
In Ileana's second book, En Passant, we are immersed into a cinematic rendering of the 2008 Financial Crisis juxtaposed onto a deeply personal one.
Trained as a Biophysicist, Ileana obtained her PhD from Cornell University, USA, and pursued research in Canada and the United Kingdom. Over the past decade, she has led her own medical communications consultancy, SciLogism Ltd (www.scilogism.com), and has garnered a number of awards. The 2008 Crisis found Ileana and her family swept up in the storm of London's collapsing financial sector.
