Jones

Reviews

"An enthralling, disconcerting and stunning read, a novel of beauty and violence, of connection and loss. . . . Jones reveals itself to be a unique tour de force, a truly powerful feat of storytelling." —Toronto Star

"In Neil Smith’s novel Jones, every sentence is alive. Funny, dark, clever and surprising, Jones is a sibling love story at once heart-wrenching and hilarious, devastating and brilliant. . . . Smith, like [Miriam] Toews, walks that striking line between sadness and humour, with an edge of wickedness to match the Jones house of horrors that never ceases to delight. . . . Hilarious. . . . There is a fierce intellect at play, and with such heart. This novel is why we read literary fiction." —Winnipeg Free Press

"Jones is a splendid, rollicking and steadily heartbreaking autobiographical work of fiction where all kinds of funny—sarcastic retorts, snarky nicknames, brutal jokes, Heathers-worthy put-downs, deadpan one-liners—come fast and furious. . . . Jones captivates with stylish, effortless writing. Smith’s oddball characters are intriguing and memorably quirky; at a glance, they bring to mind David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs and Tom Perrotta." —Quill & Quire, starred review

“Heartbreaking. . . . The writing is alive with visceral details, highlighting Smith’s brilliance at depicting the feverish emotions of childhood and adolescence.” —Montreal Review of Books

“[Neil Smith] employs a fierce tenderness, an unbridled sense of fantasy and an irresistible black humour to describe the siblings’ bond. . . . [Smith] delivers a cathartic tale that covers such difficult themes as incest, violence towards children, mental illness, alcoholism and addiction—and yet never descends into despair or pathos. Quite the opposite—Jones is a dazzling celebration of the power of imagination and literary creativity and a powerful tribute to resilience.” —Le Devoir
 
“Jones is a book of tenderness, grace, sorrow and wonder. A girl and her brother come of age in a dark home; the boy, while awakening to his identity, sees the world with sparkling humor and erratic insight. Somewhere between laughter and tears, Jones conjures the magical elixir of childhood emotions dwelling in the heart of survivors.” —Heather O’Neill, author of When We Lost Our Heads

“Jones is an extraordinary novel. In a shattered world, Abi and Eli create a home for one another—however fragile—in which each can experience, and find solace within, truth, loyalty and hope. Refusing silence, and turning aspects of his own life into fiction, Neil Smith has created an artful, fearless and unforgettable work, profoundly relevant to our times.” —Madeleine Thien, author of Do Not Say We Have Nothing

“Bold, sad and ruthlessly funny, Jones will open you up like a brick across your brow. Neil Smith writes like a tender, wicked arbiter, plumbing the depths of what family is and cannot be. I adored this book and its indestructible love.” —Sean Michaels, author of Us Conductors and Do You Remember Being Born?

“With Jones, Neil Smith has conjured an irresistible and profound love story about a brother and sister for whom the ‘f-word’ is family. Smith lucidly and audaciously tracks Abi and Eli’s escape routes from their own personal Jones Town, deploying glacial wit while gouging holes into your heart. This novel is so deliriously alive, it snaps, crackles, and pops with the intense heat of its internal fire.” —Zsuzsi Gartner, author of The Beguiling and Better Living Through Plastic Explosives
 
“A delirious portrait of two wise kids trying to survive two of the most utterly deranged parents ever let out of the womb. In Jones, Neil Smith blends humor and depravity with history, geography, queerness, and finds that rare language to document survival. This novel is ablaze.” —Anakana Schofield, author of Bina, Martin John and Malarky Expand reviews