{"product_id":"pet-pet-slap-9781552454763","title":"Pet, Pet, Slap","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eRocky\u003c\/i\u003e meets Elmore Leonard meets Miranda July as Pillow Wilson, a past-his-prime boxer, trains for his last title shot. Shenanigans ensue.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaving recently undergone an ethical awakening, Pillow has converted to veganism and is in the middle of trying to rehome his menagerie of exotic pets (including Jersey Joe the sloth and Rigoberto the shark) in humane animal shelters. His roommate, Sherlock Holmes, has recently faked his own death by waterfall, and has now gone incognito and is Pillow's in-house doping expert.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe thing is, Pillow doesn't feel all that motivated to train for his next big fight, and he's further distracted from his training when his car and pet shark mysteriously disappear. Luckily, Sherlock is a master of deduction. What follows is part underdog sports story, part work of Neozoological Surrealism, and part existential mystery novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Reckless, desperate, and achingly human, Battershill remains funnier than anyone else on your shelf.\" - \u003cb\u003eAndrew F. Sullivan, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Marigold\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The adventures of Battershill's returning protagonist Pillow are witty and occasionally absurd, but the story never trips on ironies. Battershill twines the humanity of pulp noir with the unsettling play of surrealism to build a world in which pet sloths, Sherlock Holmes, and skilled drug pushers all seem to have found their ideal home.\" - \u003cb\u003eNaben Ruthnum, author of \u003ci\u003eA Hero of Our Time\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Pillow Wilson is one of my favourite characters in CanLit, and he is in fine form in \u003ci\u003ePet, Pet, Slap\u003c\/i\u003e, a deeply funny, inventive, bizarre, heartbreaker of a book. Andrew Battershill not only writes with that magical alchemy of humour and pathos that most writers only wish they could pull off, but he somehow also balances surrealism and profound humanity in a way I'm sure I'll spend the rest of my life trying to figure out. I haven't had this much fun reading in a long, long time.\" -\u003cb\u003e Amy Jones, author of \u003ci\u003ePebble \u0026amp; Dove\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Coach House Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/04\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781552454763\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240","brand":"Andrew Battershill","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43897061507253,"sku":"9781552454763","price":16.11,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_2b311fe6-45a6-4d70-a118-29282ba7e75b.jpg?v=1712633150","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/pet-pet-slap-9781552454763","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}