Original Prin

Description

ANEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWEDITORS CHOICEAGLOBE AND MAILBEST BOOK OF THE YEAREight months before he became a suicide bomber, Prin went to the zoo with his family.Following a cancer diagnosis, forty-year old Prin vows to become a better man and a better Catholic. Hes going to spend more time with his kids and better time with his wife, care for his recently divorced and aging parents, and also expand his cutting-edge research into the symbolism of the seahorse in Canadian literature.But when his historic college in downtown Toronto faces a shutdown and he meets with the condominium developers ready to take it overincluding a foul-mouthed young Chinese entrepreneur and Wende, his sexy ex-girlfriend from graduate schoolPrinhears the voice of God. Bewildered and divinely inspired, he goes to the Middle East, hoping to save both his college and his soul. Wende is coming, too.The first book in a planned trilogy,Original Prinis an entertaining and essential novel about family life, faith, temptation, and fanaticism. Its a timely story about timeless truths, told with wise insight and great humour, confirming Randy Boyagodas place as one of Canadas funniest and most provocative writers.Praise forOriginal PrinOriginal Prinis many things at once: a richly funny campus novel, a painfully humorous portrait of a modern family, an examination of a whole spectrum of religious faith from shaky to fanatical, and finally, in a climax of pitch-black comedy, a thriller too. Boyagoda writes with real panache and drive. An unputdownable book.Salman RushdieAn original animalClever, often ingenious[raising] fascinating questions about fanaticism and the state of the modern world. Prin evolves in surprising ways, and tensions spike. For readers feeling confounded at the end, fear not. Its the first in a planned trilogy.The New York Times Book Review(Editors Choice)University corruption, infidelity, Catholic theology, Middle Eastern politics: not many writers could convincingly keep so many balls in the air, and that Boyagoda does so in a truly funny novel is impressive enough. But perhaps even more striking is the depth of sensitivity and understanding that Boyagoda brings to the emotive issues of faith, immigration, and violence. By examining the messy intersections between religious fundamentalism, global capitalism, and liberal values through the gentle comic form of the campus novel, Boyagoda does more than offer clever satirehe humanizes these vast impersonal forces even as he imbues them with a moral complexity that frustrates easy political judgment.The WalrusThat Boyagoda can take on faith, global capitalism, religious terrorism, upper-middle-class preciousness and self-delusionall the while implicating Canada in traditionally American problemsattests to his talent. It also manages to be a taut and funny novel throughoutThis is the first volume of a planned trilogy. If I could hazard my own divination of signs, I would bet Boyagoda could take [Prin] anywhere.America: The Jesuit Review of Faith & CultureOne of the best satirical writers todayimmediately funny.Micah Mattix,The American ConservativeBoyagoda sets up a tightly paced novel inOriginal Printhat succeeds on a number of fronts. Its a hilarious romp of a campus novel, poking fun at the market-driven ethos of the modern Canadian academy. Its a touching look at the complicated sacrifices demanded of familial love. At heart, its a richly humorous novel that explores the struggle for spiritual believers in a fiercely secular worldcapturing the rambunctious multi-faith, multicultural zeitgeist of the city, particularly in corners where cultures and faith overlapBoyagoda has crafted a novel thats fresh and utterly original.Toronto StarTimelysupremely funnyOriginal Prindeals with much that is purely human, centering on Prins desire to do the right thing and the very relateable hang-ups and weaknesses that constantly thwart him. Boyagodas novels are a reminder of what Catholic literature should be like.TheCatholic RegisterA winning combination of academic satire and sociopolitical commentary that leaves readers facing grim reality and acknowledging the irrationality of it all. Globally aware and witty, this is the opening title in a projected trilogy and a tale that offers a fascinating new perspective on journeys of faith and contemporary intellectual pursuits.Booklist[Original Prin] skewers the corporatized university and modern world politics alike in this delicious satireA lively complement to Kingsley AmisLucky Jim, Malcolm BradburysThe History Man, Michael ChabonsWonder Boys, and other academic sendups.Kirkus ReviewsOriginal Prinis a riotously funny satire, written more in the style of John Kennedy Toole and David Foster Wallace than [Flannery] OConnor or [Graham Greene]Boyagodas clear, tight, prose propels the lot, and the book feels even shorter than its 223 pages. the whirling dervish of a story is dizzying at times, but is ultimately grounded buy the protagonist, whose sincerity and self-doubt allow him to function as a spiritual everyman for an internet-addled, post truth age.The American InterestThe funniest parts are long set pieces in which people reveal themselves to be who they are, and who they are is regrettable. Boyagoda satirizes academics, Catholics, Catholicism, Islamic terrorism, family life, male insecurities, and a raft of other subjects. Prin, the child of Sri Lankan parents, feels his life isnt what it should be, but the real problem is that he knows hes not what he should be.CommonwealThe novel surpasses self-satisfied wit and leaves us instead wincing under the weight of the cosmic spirits humbling capaciousness. With its cosmic skewering of conscientious Catholicity and fanatical Islam,Original Prinmight seem bent on ushering in a hyper-tolerance; but Boyagodas novel does not laugh at what each of us holds most sacred so much as he laughs and hen weeps at the self-delusions of believers.The University BookmanPrincely Umbiligoda appears to have it alla great job as the leading expert on the marine imagery in Canadian literature; a loving family consisting of a wife and four Disney-obsessed daughters; and a strong spiritual connection to his Catholic faith. But underneath theres trouble. Trouble at home, trouble at work, trouble in the newspapers, and trouble with his prostate, troubles that lead to troubling doubts about God. And the disturbing reappearance of an old girlfriend. And a career change tosuicide bomber? Did I mention this is a comedy? Well, it is, a great comedy with a brisk pace and a delightfully hapless protagonist the likes of whom Ive never met before.Original Prinleft me eager to read many more of his exploits. Secondary Prin? Tertiary Prin? Bring em on.James Crossley, Madison BooksBoyagoda tempers the subject matter with deftly cunning and witty prose, pinning classical literary references alongside the mundane beauty of office supplies. If its possible to create a sympathetic character in a potential suicide bomber, Boyagoda has done it: Prin is a complex yet relatable man searching for, above all, a reason to live.Morgan McComb, Raven Book StoreOriginal Prinis one of those books that defyclassification. Its very real, yet surreal. Its funny actually laugh-out-loud so but sad.Desi NewsA very entertaining readPrins antics are alarming and funny, but the storys themes of faith and self-deception resonate long after the last sentence.CBC BooksOriginal Prinfinds Boyagoda working explicitly in the tradition of comic Catholic writers such as Evelyn WaughIt is fabulously rare, in our secular age, to find a novel that focuses so insistently and unironically on a character whose religion is not an ancillary aspect of his persona but absolutely central.Quill & QuireBoyagoda gets it right.Hamilton Review of BooksPraise for Randy BoyagodaGleamingThrough his protagonists long and eventful life, Randy Boyagoda explores themes of shifting identity, of the diamond-hard determination to evade ones destiny and of the inner landscapes of an island that itself undergoes a dramatic transformation an ambitious book that seeks to convey the sweep of history through the prism of one island. The lush style of Boyagodas prose suits the novel.TheNew York Times Book Review(Editors Choice)The Evelyn Waugh of the North.Books-in-CanadaGovernor of the Northern Provinces humour and liveliness are in welcome contrast to the dreary earnestness of so many similar books.Quill & QuireBoyagoda, a sharp and subtle writer, slips easily into many different characters heads and their internal rhythms, and lyrical lines aboundA satirical feast.The Globe and MailA multifaceted, engrossing story Prepare for a verbal feast that will thoroughly entertain and satisfy, yet leave you hungering for more.Kirkus Reviews(starred review)