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Fiction. In this first full-length work of fiction by Toronto-based artist and writer Malcolm Sutton (and BookThug's own Fiction Editor), JOB SHADOWING delivers an imaginative take on the present- day crisis in work, particularly as it relates to identity and belonging. Sutton combines the transformational- fantastic with crystal-clear contemporary reality in two cross- cutting storylines that interrogate the ways in which two people can exist together in tight proximity: as a woman married to a man; as an ambitious employee joined to a problematic shadow; as an idealistic artist dependent on a wealthy employer; and as multiple generations negotiating their statuses with one another. All of this makes JOB SHADOWING an intriguing and topical book that will appeal to readers of contemporary literary fiction with an experimental edge, and specifically people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who might relate to the speculative world of un(der)employment living.
"JOB SHADOWING is a work of pure, energizing imagination that speaks directly to our times. As we hang on through each plausible yet impossible turn, the parallel worlds Malcolm Sutton effortlessly creates pull us ever-closer to the underlying currents and desires that make the personal political, then twist back around to become deeply personal once again. A book for our shadow-generation and, at the same time, a work of literature that just might subtly help us break free."--Jacob Wren
"A smooth art thriller in the tradition of Bolano, JOB SHADOWING meddles with corporate culture, dying domesticity and the living, breathing life of the alienated worker. Malcolm Sutton's work is stimulating and standalone."--Tamara Faith Berger
About the author
Malcolm Sutton is a writer, editor, and interdisciplinary artist living in Toronto. His fiction has appeared in
Maisonneuve, Joyland, and
Drunken Boat, and his writing on art has appeared in
C Magazine and
Border Crossings. He is the Founding Editor of
The Coming Envelope journal of innovative prose, and the Fiction Editor at BookThug. In addition to editing and writing, he works as a graphic designer and collaborates with artists on text- and performance-based projects. JOB SHADOWING is his first novel.
