From the two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour: a story about a man tormented by an event from his youth, and the journey he finds himself on to heal and to learn who he is.

Few people know the real Alex MacAskill. Most of the world sees a painfully and chronically shy software engineer in his mid-20s, soft-spoken, a bit of a loner, and someone easy to escape notice wherever possible—and that's just the way Alex wants it. Because no matter how many years have passed, the incident known only as "Gabriel" in the MacAskill family is something that still haunts him.
But when his mother, one of the only people in the world who Alex felt comfortable as himself around, dies after a long illness, he suddenly has no choice but to face the very thing that he's been avoiding since that night in high school. In an instant, Alex finds himself trying to piece together the mystery of his identity, and on a search for parts of his family he never knew existed—a search that takes him from Ottawa to London to Moscow, encountering along the way echoes of the Cold War, painful memories from his past, and even the 1972 Russian hockey team—a search that ultimately helps Alex discover himself.
With his trademark wit and captivating storytelling, Terry Fallis has written a novel unlike any of his others. One Brother Shy is at once poignant and humorous, heartbreaking and heartwarming, and readers will not soon forget Alex MacAskill.

A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis is the award-winning author of six national bestsellers, including his most recent, One Brother Shy, all published by McClelland & Stewart (M&S). 

His debut novel, The Best Laid Plans, won the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and was crowned the 2011 winner of CBC Canada Reads as the “essential Canadian novel of the decade.“ In January 2014, CBC aired a six-part television miniseries based on The Best Laid Plans earning very positive reviews. In September 2015, it debuted as a stage musical in Vancouver, produced by Touchstone Theatre and Patrick Street Productions. The High Road was published in September 2010 and was a finalist for the 2011 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Terry’s third novel, Up and Down, was released in September 2012. It debuted on the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, was a finalist for the 2013 Leacock Medal, and won the 2013 Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award. Terry’s fourth novel, No Relation, hit bookstores in May 2014, opened on the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, and won the 2015 Leacock Medal. M&S published Terry’s fifth novel, Poles Apart, in October 2015, opening on several bestsellers lists including the Globe and Mail’s. It was a finalist for the 2016 Leacock Medal. One Brother Shy was published in May 2017 and was an instant bestseller.

In June, 2013, the Canadian Booksellers Association presented Terry with the Libris Award for Author of the Year.

For more than 25 years, Terry has counselled corporate and government clients on various fronts including crisis communications, media relations, issues management, marketing communications, public opinion polling, public affairs, stakeholder relations, etc. He has also written speeches for CEOs, cabinet ministers, and other community leaders.

Terry is a sought-after speaker, sits on a number of boards, and lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Terry Fallis' profile page

“A two-for-one flight of invention, full of hilarious one-liners. Terry Fallis has written another fast-paced, incisive, and wry novel that doesn’t shy away from the enjoyably genuine and the genuinely human.” —Gary Barwin, author of Yiddish for Pirates and Nothing the Same, Everything Haunted
“One Brother Shy is funny, heartbreaking, and sensitive, just like its reluctant semi-hero, Alex MacAskill. Terry Fallis has worked his magic again in this story of a young man battered by the fates and healed by his own courage and the kindness of an unlikely assortment of people. One Brother Shy is life-affirming and an absolute joy to read.” —Susan Juby, author of Republic of Dirt
“Mark Twain once observed that the ‘secret source of humour is not joy but sorrow.’ In One Brother Shy, Terry Fallis locates this secret source in a very moving yet often funny story about a young man’s search for lost family, lost identity, lost confidence and lost time. The result is a wonderful, powerful tale of pain and redemption.” —Joseph Kertes, author of The Afterlife of Stars
“One Brother Shy is another great example of the great gift of Terry Fallis: to make us laugh just enough that we don’t realize that we’re also learning. My only complaint with his novels is that he can’t write them as quickly as I can devour them.” —Steve Patterson, comedian and author of Dad Up!

“An ode to one of the most unique emotional bonds a human can experience.” —Toronto Star

“[One Brother Shy] follows software engineer Alex MacAskill who must face a humiliating incident from his past after his mother dies. It sounds depressing, but, like Fallis' other books, is filled with humour and warmth.” —CBC books

“It’s always a thrill to crack open a book and find places you know reflected in the pages. When this happens, it makes me feel as if I’m a player in the story unfolding before me. And so it was with Terry Fallises’ sixth novel, One Brother Shy. . .” —Ottawa Magazine