“A jaw-dropping, near-perfect satire”
— Chatelaine
Winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour
Short-listed for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
A Globe and Mail Best Book
Short-listed for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
A Globe and Mail Best Book
A novel about friendship, death and irreversible choices.
Trevor Cole's third novel takes readers to the small, fictional town of Kotemee, where Jean Vale Horemarsh — loving daughter, devoted friend — makes a momentous decision. One that will forever change the lives of everyone she loves.
Trevor Cole's third novel takes readers to the small, fictional town of Kotemee, where Jean Vale Horemarsh — loving daughter, devoted friend — makes a momentous decision. One that will forever change the lives of everyone she loves.
Praise for Practical Jean:
"Wonderfully bitter fruits"
"In his U.S. debut, Canadian novelist Cole delivers a cagey satirical noir.... Wicked humor glints kitchen-knife bright as the unhinged Jean blithely traverses the suburbs dispensing her most intimate friends."
— Publishers Weekly
"Suspenseful"
"A major strength of this amusing yet horrifying novel is the detail in which Cole depicts characters and settings.... Exceeding the predictable by a long shot, this will beguile readers possessing a sardonic streak as well those who appreciate gallows humor."
— Booklist
"A worthy contender for Book of the Year"
“Practical Jean: A Novel is more than just a hilarious modern-day Arsenic and Old Lace or the TV’s “Dexter” in a dress. It’s a shrewd observation of the psyche going badly wrong.”
— New York Journal of Books
"Diamond-cut"
"Should be a starred pick for every book club... [Practical Jean] combines diamond-cut social satire with thoughtful contemplations of friendship's burdens, meaning and purpose.
— Globe and Mail
"Near-perfect"
"A jaw-dropping, near-perfect satire."
— Chatelaine
"Sly satire"
"Props to Trevor Cole. He's not afraid to take a few risks. His sly satire ... could have swung wildly from melodrama to comedy ... But Cole keeps complete tonal control to the end... [He] writes with tremendous energy."
— Now Magazine
"Compelling"
"Practical Jean, which was a finalist for this year's Rogers Writers' Trust Prize for Fiction, is the most bizarre and also the most serious of Cole's serious comic novels so far ... A sometimes eccentric, often compelling meditation on morality and mortality ... It's hard to imagine it being smarter."
— Montreal Gazette