You Crushed It [TRADE PAPER ]

With the caustic daring of Bret Easton Ellis and the offbeat, psychological insight of Douglas Coupland,You Crushed Itis a captivating exploration of love and the corroding nature of power in creative industries.

Raph Massi is crushing it. A young up-and-coming comedian, hes successfully navigating the internal cosmos of the stand-up industry and burying long-borne insecurities with each successful gig. He does so with the support of his girlfriend, Laurie, who narrates the book, sharing their sensual, mundane moments of new love and the creative collaborations that follow.

But, when Laurie dumps him, Raphs heartbreak metastasizesinto paranoia, cruelty, and a path that is as lonely as it is destructive. Baril Gu?rard shares an exacting portrayal of the innermost thoughts we hide from the world and from ourselves. The result is a devastating critique of the soft underbelly of toxic masculinity and the complicated ferocity of those who protect it.

You Crushed Itis an eminently readable, witty reflection on artistic prowess, community, and the intoxication of success.

JEAN-PHILIPPE BARIL GU?RARDis an actor and writer who lives in Montreal. He is the author of four novels:Sports et divertissements?(published in English asSports and Pastimes),Royal(winner of the Prix litt?raire des coll?giens),Manuel de la vie sauvage(which was translated into Spanish), andHaute d?molition(You Crushed It). He also co-wroteLes Cicatris?s de Saint-Sauvignacwith three other writers.?Several of his books have been adapted for the stage and television, includingRoyal,Haute d?molition, andManuel de la vie sauvage. He also writes for the stage and screen.

NEIL SMITHis a writer and translator from Montreal. He has won the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the Quebec Writers Federation First Book Prize. He has also been nominated for tlC"