Part Comedy, part mystery, THE PARABOLIST is a searingly smart and funny novel about murder, sex, the medical establishment, poetry and vigilante justice on the streets of Toronto in 1975.
Told through interlacing narratives, the story funnels towards the eye of an unsolved crime: on a rainy summer night, a woman is raped and very nearly murdered, but for the intervention of two drunken vigilantes who kill her attacker before fleeing the scene. The only clue the police have about their identities: a slab of Crisco shortening found on the victim.
This is a satirical, whimsical, dangerous and tender story of earnest youth and their ardent desire for love, acceptance and fulfillment.
This is a satirical, whimsical, dangerous and tender story of earnest youth and their ardent desire for love, acceptance and fulfillment.
You can order The Parabolist online at Amazon.ca, Chapters.ca, or from the RandomHouse website
READERS & PRAISE
"Packed with smarts, wit, and the spirit of Roberto Bolaño, The Parabolist envisions Toronto as an antic place full of characters willing to go to the brink for good sex, good love or a good poem. This big-brained, warm-hearted debut was a joy to read right up to its bold conclusion."
-Kyo Maclear, author of The Letter Opener
"Passionate, offhand, deeply charming and deeply original, The Parabolist is a fabulous gift to Canadian readers.”
-Damian Tarnopolsky, author of Goya’s Dog
"The narrative is infused with the kind of intellectual energy and playfulness that is woefully lacking in so much Canadian fiction."
-Quill & Quire
"The Parabolist is an inventive, poetic, and thoroughly wonderful book. It lays claims on murder mystery and literary fiction, and satisfies the reader with the best pleasures of both."
-Vincent Lam, author of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures
“With dazzling skill, Ruddock blends his intricate knowledge of medicine into an exciting, compelling, and expertly layered mystery."
-Anthony De Sa, author of Barnacle Love"
A comic mystery, literary CSI, old-fashioned sex romp or canlit tease--you needn't be able to say what Nicholas Ruddock's The Parabolist is, because it speaks so entertainingly for itself."
-Andrew Piper, author of The Killing Circle
-Kyo Maclear, author of The Letter Opener
"Passionate, offhand, deeply charming and deeply original, The Parabolist is a fabulous gift to Canadian readers.”
-Damian Tarnopolsky, author of Goya’s Dog
"The narrative is infused with the kind of intellectual energy and playfulness that is woefully lacking in so much Canadian fiction."
-Quill & Quire
"The Parabolist is an inventive, poetic, and thoroughly wonderful book. It lays claims on murder mystery and literary fiction, and satisfies the reader with the best pleasures of both."
-Vincent Lam, author of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures
“With dazzling skill, Ruddock blends his intricate knowledge of medicine into an exciting, compelling, and expertly layered mystery."
-Anthony De Sa, author of Barnacle Love"
A comic mystery, literary CSI, old-fashioned sex romp or canlit tease--you needn't be able to say what Nicholas Ruddock's The Parabolist is, because it speaks so entertainingly for itself."
-Andrew Piper, author of The Killing Circle
Video from The Parabolist book launch party and reading at the Bookshelf, Guelph. By Ben Minett
