Jim Kearns, a career manual labourer, struggles to overcome stifling cynicism brought on by missed opportunities and mid-life discord - then he loses his job for punching out a Hollywood action star in a bizarre job-site confrontation. In an effort to salvage not only Jim’s sanity but also their unravelling family, his wife, Maddy, assigns him a series of life-affirming tasks to complete while he suffers through unemployment and his fifteen minutes of fame. Through the pages of his journal, we get an often humorous and sometimes touching view of one man’s life journey.

At once compelling and hilarious, The Unexpected and Fictional Career Change of Jim Kearns is the most refreshing novel of the 2005.

David Munroe is the author of the critically acclaimed short story collection Mahoney in Control. He has won the Toronto Star Short Story Contest for his story Marathon Man. He currently lives in East Toronto with his wife, Anita, his son, Sam, and their dog, Peach.

David Munroe's profile page

"Munroe gives us many bursts of fine writing while drumming up sympathy for his disagreeable protagonist. The novel's strength is its animation of an all-too-familiar personality type and its absolutely believable depiction of a dreary, workaday Toronto neighbourhood." George Fetherling, Quill & Quire, October 2005

"One of the most refreshing urban novels of 2005"

50 Best Canadian Novels of 2005, The Sun-Times

"Munroe's prose is pitch-perfect and direct, much like the character of the working-class stiff he depicts. And stiffs like this one do not get much room on the pages of Canadian fiction lately. It's a relief to read about a regular guy for a change." - Globe and Mail, October 1, 2005

"Munroe gives us many bursts of fine writing while drumming sympathy for his disagreeable protagonist...The novel's strength is its animation of an all-too-familiar personality type and its absolutely believable depiction of a dreary workaday Toronto neighbourhood." -George Fetherling, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, September 10, 2005.

"an enjoyable, light read."

Mid-Town Crier (Toronto, ON)