"Up and Down" by Terry Fallis

Synopsis: On his first day at Turner King, David Stewart quickly realizes that the world of international PR (affectionately, perhaps ironically, known as "the dark side") is a far cry from his previous job on Parliament Hill. For one, he missed the office memo on the all-black dress code; for another, there are enough acronyms and jargon to make his head spin. Before he even has time to find the washroom, David is assigned a major project: devise a campaign to revitalize North America's interest in the space program - maybe even show NASA's pollsters that watching a shuttle launch is more appealing than going out for lunch with friends. The pressure is on, and before long, David finds himself suggesting the most out-of-this-world idea imaginable: a Citizen Astronaut lottery that would send one Canadian and one American to the International Space Station. Suddenly, David's vaulted into an odyssey of his own, navigating the corporate politics of a big PR agency; wading through the murky but always hilarious waters of Canada-U.S. relations; and trying to hold on to his new job while still doing the right thing. 

My review: I reeeaaalllly enjoyed this book.  Being an amateur space geek and a Canadian, of course I would want to read this book.  David Stewart, a former Parliament Hill employee, takes a job at a Toronto PR agency that is tasked with devising a campaign to revitalize North America's interest in the space program.

If you've read it, you'll understand what I mean when I say she tried to take the book with her.  That made me cry.

The main character, David, is a Sherlock Holmes fan.  After reading "Dust and Shadow" by Lynsay Faye, I bought the Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes two weeks ago.  Reading "Up and Down" and in particular about David reading Sherlock Holmes to his dying mother, I am even more eager to read the Sherlock Holmes stories.

I loved the interactions/relationships between the characters and how some of them evolve over the course of the book.  I loved the unexpectedness of the character of Landon Percival.  This book was amusing and witty and fun.

There were only two titles on the 2013 Evergreen Award nominees list that I wanted to read.  This book, along with "Triggers" by Robert Sawyer, is nominated.  I am a big fan of Robert Sawyer but I will be voting for "Up and Down" when the voting takes place in October.

I loved this book so much that I bought my own copy.  And I'm super-excited because one of my libraries has arranged for Terry Fallis to come for an author talk.  I'll be attending, of course, and hopefully getting him to sign my book.  That talk is in June...you'll hear more about it later.

Read on,
Paula