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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Some violence connected to the murder accusation
Language
Some
Adult language in Richler's Montreal Jewish literary register
Sexual Content
Some
Adult content across Barney's three marriages
Substance Use
A lot
Heavy drinking is Barney's defining characteristic and the novel's constant background
Emotional Intensity
Some
The psychological pleasure of an unreliable narrator slowly revealing himself — and the melancholy beneath the comedy — is the novel's most lasting achievement
What this book is about
Mordecai Richler's Giller Prize-winning comic novel follows Barney Panofsky, a Montreal TV producer in his final years, writing his memoir to correct the record — and revealing, through his increasingly unreliable narration, far more than he intends. Richler writes with devastating wit and affection; the novel is a masterpiece of unreliable narration. The drinking is constant; the adult content spans three marriages. For adult readers of literary comedy.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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