The Giulio Metaphysics III

Set in the Montreal neighborhood of Park Ex, this phantasmagorical novel tells the story of Giulio, a man in much more trouble than he understands. He has to contend with his large Italian family, including an angry father; disturbed, self-pitying mother; and absent wife and children. And in a metaphysical twist, Giulio is having issues with the author of his own story. Fleeing his creator, he attempts to move with the aid of a magical bus “through the crumbling wall” to Toronto and gain some measure of agency for himself. Beckettian absurdity and a highly experimental style make Mirolla’s unconventional novel compelling and thought provoking. The Italian-born Canadian writer Mirolla (The Ballad of Martin B) interjects and argues with his protagonist, some sections unfold in film or dramatic form, and the story moves in a decidedly surrealistic direction, but the writing is always wry and artful. Though neither easy to follow nor totally coherent, this is an exuberant and often beautiful book. (June)