Jarod Palmer is a 32-year-old Toronto writer waiting for his big break -- though a small one will do. Haunted by his story of tragic teenage sweethearts in small-town Nova Scotia -- featuring the unforgettable Lana Banana - Jarod is infected by the ancient mariner's curse on all young unpublished novelists to "tell the tale". The problem is that he is trying to pursue his solitary and introspective task in a city that feels like a film set: "the lights are on all the time". Between answering constant phone calls from his doting, overprotective mother and a perpetually neurotic, alcoholic and soon-to-be-divorced film producer determined to convince Jared into plying his trade for the "dark side"; Jarod finds time to remain communicate just as ineffectively with his volatile Brazilian girlfriend. His pursuit of work gives new meaning to the term "odd jobs": dishwasher, copywriter, telemarketer, door-to-door salesman, film set gofer ...one day, despite a $50-per-hour press-release-writing gig, Jarod finds himself at a restaurant table with his girlfriend, a bottle of ketchup, a bill, and not a dime in his pocket.
Sorting through life in the city, writing, rejection letters from publishers, jobs, and a rocky relationship, "Taking the Stairs" is fast-moving, risky and infectiously fun. This is the story of Jarod Palmer's self-discovery -- a coming-of-age for the soon-to-be-evicted. It's the perfect book for anyone who's ever found themselves an elevator-ride away from their dreams.
Jarod Palmer is a 32-year-old Toronto writer waiting for his big break -- though a small one will do. Haunted by his story of tragic teenage sweethearts in small-town Nova Scotia -- featuring the unforgettable Lana Banana - Jarod is infected by the ancient mariner's curse on all young unpublished novelists to "tell the tale". The problem is that he is trying to pursue his solitary and introspective task in a city that feels like a film set: "the lights are on all the time". Between answering constant phone calls from his doting, overprotective mother and a perpetually neurotic, alcoholic and soon-to-be-divorced film producer determined to convince Jared into plying his trade for the "dark side"; Jarod finds time to remain communicate just as ineffectively with his volatile Brazilian girlfriend. His pursuit of work gives new meaning to the term "odd jobs": dishwasher, copywriter, telemarketer, door-to-door salesman, film set gofer ...one day, despite a $50-per-hour press-release-writing gig, Jarod finds himself at a restaurant table with his girlfriend, a bottle of ketchup, a bill, and not a dime in his pocket.
Sorting through life in the city, writing, rejection letters from publishers, jobs, and a rocky relationship, "Taking the Stairs" is fast-moving, risky and infectiously fun. This is the story of Jarod Palmer's self-discovery -- a coming-of-age for the soon-to-be-evicted. It's the perfect book for anyone who's ever found themselves an elevator-ride away from their dreams.
John Stiles is a poet, novelist, and filmmaker. While a native of Nova Scotias Annapolis Valley and a familiar sight in Toronto, Stiles currently lives with his wife in London, England.
"Stiles' bleak comedy is guaranteed to make even the most
malnourished writer laugh out loud."
--Mike Landry, Novel Things
"Taking the Stairs is a humorous window into the life of a
thirtysomething who for right or wrong is so dedicated to his love
of writing that he risks giving up himself in the process. It's a
light read worth taking to the beach this summer."
--Calgary Herald
"...Taking the Stairs is a clever, well-crafted work of fiction.
Stiles's wit and the multifarious narrative elements that comprise
this novel make it a fun and thought-provoking read. Fans of
Atlantic Canadian fiction will not be disappointed!"
--Michèle Rackham
"Taking the Stairs is a coming-of-age novel that is all telling
details and offbeat touches. It is a novel by someone who still
knows the power of small town secrets. The story follows Nova
Scotia lad Jarod Palmer from his ill-at-ease youth, trying to
please his flibbertigibbet gal pal Lana Banana, to early middle age
as a Toronto writer working crap gigs waiting for the big break.
It's funny, warm, odd and vulnerable as all get-out."
--Ithaca Times (New York)
"Taking the Stairs is subtle, desperation-laced with bits of hope
that compel it forward with improbable force. It's Stiles' best,
and a winner by all accounts."
--Corb Lund
"Getting started as an author in Toronto isn't easy. Taking the
Stairs is a novel about struggling writer Jarod Palmer, who earns
the money he needs to stay alive doing whatever it takes from
telemarketing to gofering, while trying to make the most of his
writing career. He sees success in his grasp, but characters from
his overprotective mother to seedy film producers strew obstacles
along his path. Taking the Stairs is a gripping tale with everyday
problems that readers will relate to - such as paying the
rent!"
--Midwest Book Review
"Taking the Stairs is an utterly winning, Kafkaesque novel, set
first in small town Glenville and later in Toronto, about Jarod
Palmer's desperate and inescapable love affair with being a writer,
being dumped by calculating, duplicitous girls and tortured by the
obtuse and well-meaning Elliot. From beginning to end - from
teenage adoration for Lana Banana, to traumatic talent contests,
penniless days spent in bed, low-paid jobs, rejection slips, phone
calls, film scripts and short stories - it is horny, abject, real,
funny and grand."
--Annie Freud
"There have been streams of books about the process of being a
writer (and artist), but Stiles (a Nova Scotia-born writer now
living in London, England) approaches the subject with warmth,
humour and economy."
--Ottawa XPress
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