so-soThis horror story set in a decaying condo building in downtown Toronto is creepy and atmospheric, but the plot is weak and I found it hard to relate to any of the characters. The novel does provide cutting and insightful commentary on the social ills plaguing Toronto and similar cities.
"He considered sending Abigail a picture in return but didn‘t have the energy to undo his pants."
"Just because someone sits down across from you and says ‘I‘m here to discuss our options in good faith‘ doesn‘t mean it‘s true. You know that, Sammy. You‘ve signed a contract, haven‘t you? Negotiating is really just about getting someone to consent to what you were gonna do anyway. It‘s someone with more power than you telling you there‘s a choice. A false binary. There are no ones for us, only zeroes."
"Whenever a Marigold building was torn down, all kinds of garbage came out of the walls, missives from the workers slipped beneath the surface. Stanley knew almost every tower in the city had water bottles full of piss clogging up the walls."
"The Eastbank place had a grand piano in it because it was built with one in it and they couldn‘t get it out after construction finished. He kept it like an awkward, ugly hostage."
"Soda considered the taser. The one time he used it the man had a heart attack and shit himself in the backseat. No charges were filed, but the cleaning bill was outrageous."
bailedNo rating as DNF'd at 20%.
The synopsis really appealed but there are way too many characters to concentrate on & it's very wordy. Some people will love it, but I'm afraid it's not for me.
The Marigold | 
