A small flat sits unoccupied above Henry’s café. When a woman comes to rent the room, Henry’s world begins an unusual transformation. As they grow closer the city itself is affected, changed, and slowly dismantled. Unsure if he is a victim of his own senility, the chaos inches closer and Henry suspects it may have something to do with the woman upstairs and the stranger she is hiding from.

“A haunting novella.”—Bookgaga

“Read this magical tale for beauty, pure and simple.”—The Coast

Ian Orti's profile page

• Winner, CBC Bookie Award (Best Relationship)

Ian Orti is the author of The Olive and the Dawn (Snare Books). He is a columnist for Matrix Magazine and his work has appeared in Filling Station, The Toronto Quarterly and VICE Magazine.

“This strange city and its lost souls don’t easily leave the mind.”—The Globe and Mail

“Orti writes with a grace that... ensures his brief novel is consistently engaging.”—Quill & Quire

“Read this magical tale for beauty, pure and simple.”—The Coast

“A haunting novella…Orti has constructed a dark, enticingly murky tale that might or might not be a romance. The book is deceptively rich and complex in form and imagery despite its comparative brevity.”—Bookgaga

Bookgaga