Book 20 of 52: The Best Laid Plans

A definite qualifier for Canadian content! I wasn't sure about reading a book about Canadian politics (zzzzzzzz), but I loved it! A thank you to Evadne for this recommendation. http://books.macedo.ca/  I never would have picked it up otherwise.

This was a very funny book. Others must agree with me, since it won the Stephen Leacock medal. There were a few parts that were so laugh out loud funny, that I got some strange looks from the people around me at the park this afternoon. As someone with an interest in politics, but not really much of an understanding of it, I would also say this provided me with some political education and insight into what may (or may not) happen on Parliment Hill.

The images of the Hill and surrounding Ottawa brought me back to my time during university when I spent my summers working on Tunney's Pasture for Health Canada and taking the bus across the bridge to Hull because rent was cheaper. I also remember one night waiting for the bus outside the front entrance to Parliment as Glen, my now husband, decided he really couldn't hold his bladder any longer and relieved himself on the lawn of Parliment Hill. A scene appropriate for this book.

Now, I live in Oakville where rent is a lot higher than Hull and where we no longer have to wait for a bus to get somewhere. It is also the is the equivalent to the Southern Ontario version of the Cumberland-Prescott which is Tory strong hold setting for this book. We will likely never (and I mean NEVER) see a NDP candidiate win in our riding. That said, this book has kept me ever hopeful that some strange event(s) could occur and I will eat those words....you just never know. The book itself was a little predictable. I knew what was going to happen, just not exactly how it was going to get there. That journey was the best part!

What really reasonated with me was not actually the novel, but the story of how it came to be published. Terry Fallis, despite winning the Stephen Leacock medal, could not get his book published. To overcome the huge barriers to publication he decided to self-publish it. He got creative, podcasting his book chapter by chapter, publishing on i-universe, and even sending his self-published novel to an awards committee. I'm a strong believer of going after what you want in life. Because of this I can't help but like this author and his book as well. Kuddos Terry!

I'm off to go find a copy of his second book, The High Road, which starts where The Best Laid Plans leaves off.