Squarehead

Corey Bonspiel is having a bad day. There's a mysterious lump on his neck,he broke up with his girlfriend, he lost his job at a call centre, and worst of all he can't find a TV to watch the Habs game. Squareheadis a fast-paced, funny, and insightful examination of the notion of "two solitudes," of Anglos lost in the hazy dream of Franco Canada. On a night of poetry slams, hockey riots, and a lack of pants, and set against the backdrop of the Bruins-Canadiens 2008 game 7 matchup, Brian Davis' debut novel takes the reader into the quiet corners of Montreal, infusing the story with characters that can only be found in a city like no other. Part DeLillo's Game 6, part Linklater's Slacker, but all Montreal, Squarehead is a hilarious look at loss, living, and loving in oura social-media-driven world, of searching for home and a place in the next round.