Stripmalling
by Jon Paul Fiorentino
Part graphic novel, part journal, this tale follows one young man's embarrassing and hilarious journey to literary awareness. Jonny lives and works in a suburban strip mall but dreams of being a writer. He already possesses most of the elements needed to realize his dreama supportive girlfriend, an active imagination, and an abundance of subject matterbut nonetheless finds his literary pursuits impeded by his own relentless stupidity. From big-box capitalism to growing up in the 21st century, Jonny's irreverent musings are captivating and deceivingly wise.
close this panelJon Paul Fiorentino is the author of Asthmatica, Hello Serotonin, and The Theory of the Loser Class. He is a professor of writing at Concordia University and the editor in chief of Matrix magazine. He lives in Montreal.
close this panel"Expands our concept of what makes something worth reading . . . [Jonny is] a metafictional anti-hero for the new millennium." Fiction Writers Review
Fiorentino is wickedly funny.” The Globe and Mail
"A wall-to-wall shag carpet of variegated grimness and hapless hilarity; a mid-life crisis you can hold in your hand; a horny walking tour of sub-industrial, suburban Winnipeg." Guy Maddin, screenwriter and director
"What Jon Paul Fiorentino is up to is sly and self-effacing, deeply real and hilarious. Stripmalling is an absolute bender." Emily Schultz, author, Joyland
"Outrageous, intriguing and quietly powerful, Stripmalling offers readers the curious and ultimately rewarding experience of stepping outside their own stories." Scene Magazine
"Worth reading for its wry, sardonic humour and delightfully self-deprecating tone . . . Thoroughly enjoyable ." Montreal Review of Books
"Both a semi-autobiographical first novel from Winnipeg-born author Jon Paul Fiorentino and something more complex and metafictional. . . . A collage-like experience, Stripmalling is a hybrid book forged out of multiple angles and perspectives. It is also a funny and clever experiment in tale-telling. Quill & Quire
"This incredibly comedic, somewhat tragic literary work is unlike anything you'll read, ever. Fiorentino details the desperate life of an aspiring writer with wit, oddness, and complexity." Joe Meno, author, Tender as Hellfire
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