Book of the Month–August 2012
Monoceros
By: Suzette Mayr
A seventeen year old boy commits suicide, leaving his friends, family and random acquaintances to reflect on their relationship with him. Patrick Furey is a senior in high school in Calgary, AB. He is also gay and the victim of bullying. When his boyfriend Ginger ends their relationship, Patrick hangs himself. The novel is written from the perspectives of those who knew him well, and those who barely knew him. Each narrator examines his/her own life in light of this tragedy.
Although the subject matter is sometimes grim, the novel has been described as whimsical and life-affirming.
Also available as:
eBook
Acknowledgements and Awards
2012: W.O Mitchell Award (winner)
2012: Georges Bugnet Award for Alberta Fiction (finalist)
2012: Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction (finalist)
2011: Scotiabank Giller Prize (nominee)
Book Reviews
Globe and Mail
Lambda Literary Review
Quill and Quire
About the Author
Suzette Mayr was born in Calgary. Although she had originally planned to study science in university, her aptitude for English inspired her to change her major. She decided to become a writer after taking a creative writing course at the University of Calgary.
Monoceros is Mayr’s fourth novel. It was inspired by the suicide of a gay student at the high school where her partner was teaching. Although neither Mayr nor her partner knew the student well, the suicide caused emotional turmoil in their lives. Mayr’s wife subsequently left teaching to become an activist.
In addition to writing fiction and poetry, Mayr is now a professor at the University of Calgary, teaching literature and creative writing.
Author Interviews
Xtra
Open Book Toronto
We Who Are About to Die
Read Alikes
If you liked Monoceros, you may also enjoy:
Other books by Suzette Mayr
Moon Honey
Venous Hum
The Widows
Other Fiction
The Inhabited World by David Long
My Side of the Story by Will Davis
The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont
Web of Angels by Lilian Nattel
Non-Fiction
Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories
It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying and Creating a Life Worth Living
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