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 dream—a supportive girlfriend, an active imagination, and an abundance of subject matter—but 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.

Jon Paul Fiorentino
Jon Paul Fiorentino’s first novel is Stripmalling (ECW, 2009). His most recent book of poetry is The Theory of the Loser Class (Coach House Books, 2006). He is the author of the poetry book Hello Serotonin (Coach House Books, 2004) and the humour book Asthmatica (Insomniac Press, 2005). His most recent editorial projects are the anthologies Career Suicide! Contemporary Literary Humour (DC Books, 2003) and Post-Prairie — a collaborative effort with Robert Kroetsch, (Talonbooks, 2005).

Robert Kroetsch
Robert Kroetsch is a Canadian novelist, poet, and non-fiction writer. In his novel, The Words of My Roaring (1966), he began to use the tall tale rhetoric of prairie taverns. Both The Studhorse Man (1969), which won the Governor General’s Award, and Gone Indian (1973) call the conventions of realistic fiction hilariously into question.

In 2004, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Jon Paul Fiorentino's profile page

?Fiorentino is wickedly funny.”  “The Globe and Mail

"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

"Outrageous, intriguing and quietly powerful, Stripmalling offers readers the curious and ultimately rewarding experience of stepping outside their own stories."  “Scene Magazine

"Expands our concept of what makes something worth reading...[Jonny is] a metafictional anti-hero for the new millennium."  “Fiction Writers Review

"Worth reading for its wry, sardonic humour and delightfully self-deprecating tone . . . Thoroughly enjoyable ."  ?Montreal Review of Books

"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

"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

"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