[3] In addition to his journalism career, Jean has published several novels, including Envoyé spécial (2008), Un monde mort comme la lune (2009), Une vie à aimer (2010), Elle et nous (2012), Le vent en parle encore (2013), La belle mélancolie (2015), Tsunamis (2017), Kukum (2019),[4] Tiohtiá:ke (2021), and Qimmik (2023).

Kukum, a novel based on the life of his own Innu great-grandmother Almanda Siméon, won the Prix France-Québec in 2020,[5] and was selected for the 2021 edition of Le Combat des livres, where it was defended by indigenous activist and now Senator Michèle Audette.

[7] Following his success with Kukum, his earlier novel Elle et nous was reissued in 2021 under the new title Atuk.

[8] Susan Ouriou received a nomination for the Governor General's Award for French to English translation at the 2023 Governor General's Awards for her translation of Kukum.

[9] His novel Kukum, was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2025.