Canadian cover
U.S cover
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.
Video
Practical Jean in Pictures
This short video documents a fun project by local Hamilton photographers to depict scenes from Practical Jean in photographs..
WARNING: This video contains plot spoilers!
This short video documents a fun project by local Hamilton photographers to depict scenes from Practical Jean in photographs..
WARNING: This video contains plot spoilers!
Audio
qpodcast
Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall and I appeared on CBC Radio's Q to discuss writing about serial killers.
Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall and I appeared on CBC Radio's Q to discuss writing about serial killers.
WINNER
of The 2011 Leacock Medal for Humour
Short-listed for: The Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
Named: A Globe and Mail Best Book for 2010
"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
"Rare"
"Practical Jean is that rare thing — a novel that tackles a deep, dark philosophical question through seemingly banal events and leaves the reader pondering for days after reading the last page."
— Vancouver Sun
"Clever and timely"
"Cole mines the fruitful valley of female relationships comedically in a macabre romp through middle-class North America."
— Telegraph-Journal
"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
"Rare"
"Practical Jean is that rare thing — a novel that tackles a deep, dark philosophical question through seemingly banal events and leaves the reader pondering for days after reading the last page."
— Vancouver Sun
"Clever and timely"
"Cole mines the fruitful valley of female relationships comedically in a macabre romp through middle-class North America."
— Telegraph-Journal
Also by Trevor Cole
Teetering on the edge of financial ruin and clinging to the faded light of his career, Norman must answer to the bank, his family, and, most of all, his own illusions about himself....
Gerald Woodlore has a lot to worry about — a son coming home early from Afghanistan, a wife going quietly mad, and a business on the ropes. What are the limits of one man's ability to keep the bad things at bay?
Click on the books for more details.
Practical Jean
is published by McClelland & Stewart
Buy Practical Jean at...
Barnes & Noble
Amazon.ca
Chapters-Indigo
McNally Robinson
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