Ring

(Paperback)

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THE GLOBE AND MAIL BEST BOOKS OF 2021

CBC BOOKSTHE BEST CANADIAN FICTION OF 2021

A fresh take on the romance novel from the Giller Prizewinning author of Fifteen Dogs

From their first meeting, it was clear that Gwen and Tancred were meant to be together. But, as we know, the course of true love never did run smooth.

Gwens mother, intuiting that her daughter is in love, gives her a magic ring that has been passed down through endless generations of mothers and daughters. This ring grants its wearer the opportunity to change three things about her beloved. Like all blessings, this may also be a curse.

Ring turns the literary romance upside down and shakes out its pockets. Its a playful meditation on the past, on magic, on race, on honour, on faith, and, yes, on love.

Following on the heels of Pastoral, Fifteen Dogs, The Hidden Keys, and Days by Moonlight, Ring completes Alexiss Quincunx, a group of five genre-bending, philosophically sophisticated, and utterly delightful novels.

Reviews

"Alexis churns up a consistent supply of wry, pithy lines ('People fall out of respect as easily as they fall out of love') while maintaining the tension between the threat and hope that the ring offers ... [a] pleasantly unusual outing." --Publishers Weekly

"Ring raises questions about love, marriage, fidelity, and the divine." --Canadian Writers Abroad

"A tour de force by an accomplished writer, Ring reminds us there are still mysteries in the world that are well worth exploring." - Necessary Fiction

"Andr Alexis, the wildly inventive Canadian author who gives me very strong Percival Everett/ Colson Whitehead vibes." --Josh Cook, Porter Square Books

"... Alexis' Quincunx sequence [is] one of the boldest, most audacious, and most satisfying achievements in recent literary memory." --The Toronto Star

"Told with a sense of inevitability and fate, Ring is an enchanting and sophisticated fable in which love is transformative." --Forward Reviews

"A great novel doesn't try to answer questions, but, like Days by Moonlight, complicates them. " --The Globe and Mail on Days by Moonlight

"This imaginative travelogue will amuse readers even as it raises weightier issues. " --Publishers Weekly on Days by Moonlight

"I'm far from being a dog person, but as a book person I loved this smart, exuberant fantasy from start to finish. " --The Guardian on Fifteen Dogs

"A clever exploration of our essence, communication, and how our societies are organized. " --Kirkus Reviews on Fifteen Dogs

Author Bio

Andr Alexis was born in Trinidad and grew up in Canada. His most recent novel, Days by Moonlight, won the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Fifteen Dogs won the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize, CBC Canada Reads, and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His other books include Asylum, Pastoral, The Hidden Keys, and The Night Piece: Collected Stories. He is the recipient of a Windham Campbell Prize.