When a mad dentist steals people's teeth, Miss Lamp comes to town.

Miss Lamp, a young and savvy lawyer, is holed up in Room 32 of the Peachland Hotel, waiting for a perfect grilled cheese sandwich and reviewing the case of Delano, the teeth-stealing dentist everybody loves to hate.

Meanwhile, the narrator takes us on a tour of Miss Lamp's memories, stories of her family, the adventures of those who knock on her door. There's Miss Lamp's mother, Abby, and her mean grandmother. There's the supremely lovable Paper Boy, abused by Delano and in love with a younger Miss Lamp. There's naive Room Service Boy, on the hunt for the perfect tomato soup to accompany Miss Lamp's grilled cheese; at the grocery store he meets the assertive Banana Tray Hair – could it be love?

These characters' stories weave together into a tangle – like moths to a light, they all kaleidoscope back to our Miss Lamp in her floralhotel room. She invites you in to smell the flowers, to walk in someone else's shoes, to eat a peach, to watch a magpie pick for gold.

‘To read Miss Lamp is to see daily life again in clear, sharp lines and delightfully bright colours.’ – Larissa Lai

Chris Ewart lives in Calgary, where he recently received his MA in English. His play Billy's Drums will appear in 2007 with FireBelly Theatre in Calgary. He teaches effective writing at the University of Calgary. Miss Lamp is his first book.

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