The Book of Stanley

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A riotous new novel from the #1 bestselling author of the hit sensation The Garneau Block. By all accounts, Stanley Moss is an average man. A retired florist, he lives quietly with his wife, Frieda, in a modest bungalow in Edmonton. Stricken with cancer, Stanley has few wishes for the time he has left, except perhaps for his son to call him back. But on the day of an appointment with the palliative care specialist, Stanley experiences a boom and a flash, and then, a remarkable transformation. He discovers he can read minds. He can fulfill people’s dreams. He has the strength of ten men. And, his illness has vanished. What could this mean? Could it be, as his New Age friend Alok believes, that Stanley’s powers are divine? Is Stanley, a confirmed agnostic, the new Messiah? With Alok and a reluctant Frieda in tow, Stanley heads to Banff (the most sacred place on earth) to look for answers and find a way to use his new powers for good. He encounters there his disciples — a Vancouver TV executive, a pro hockey player from the Prairies and a teenage girl from suburban Montreal — and together they start The Stan, a new religion, and invite the world to join. When the world shows up, along with the international media and an angry long-dead spiritualist, things take an unexpected turn. Satirical, fantastical, filled with humour and pointed observation about organized religion in the modern world, The Book of Stanley is a provocative comedy about life, love, and devotion in all its guises. From the Hardcover edition.Review“Todd Babiak is my new favourite social satirist.” — Toronto Star “The neurotic high comedy of the best Woody Allen films.” — Calgary Herald From the Hardcover edition.About the AuthorTodd Babiak is the culture columnist for the Edmonton Journal and author of the #1 bestseller The Garneau Block, which was longlisted for The Scotiabank Giller Prize. Babiak’s first novel, Choke Hold (Turnstone, 2000) won the Writers Guild of Alberta Henry Kreisel Award for Best First Book, and was shortlisted for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Also an award-winning screenwriter and former Lord Mayor of Old Strathcona, Babiak lives and writes in Edmonton. From the Hardcover edition.