Canon
A Novel
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4.0 • 10 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
“Lewis blew me away with their debut novel . . . an absolute hoot.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“A scorchingly brilliant, wildly funny, and deeply moving epic.”
—John Green, #1 globally bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars
Two unlikely heroes embark on quests to win God’s favor in this outrageously entertaining, profoundly heartfelt novel that announces an ingenious new voice in the tradition of Chain-Gang All-Stars, No One Is Talking About This, and Martyr!
Yara can’t comprehend why God has chosen them to slay Dominic, the ruthless leader of the army of Bad Guys. Cast out by their family and reeling from a destructive relationship, Yara has never felt weaker—but with nothing left to lose, they strike a deal. Abandoning their solitary days of embroidery and obsessive cleaning, Yara reluctantly embarks on a perilous odyssey designed to prepare them for the daunting mission ahead.
Meanwhile, Adrena, a disillusioned prophet with a terrifying secret power, is determined to become the hero of this story. Desperately seeking the glory of God’s approval and the promise of heaven, where she hopes to reunite with her beloved mother, Adrena must first persuade Harpo, the leader of the Good Guys, that her plan is God’s will.
As their journeys unfold in a series of unforgettable adventures, Yara and Adrena are propelled toward each other and transformative revelations about life, death, and destiny in this intensely captivating, irreverent epic from a singularly brilliant new voice in fiction.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
God calls on a reclusive nonbinary artist to aid in a modern-day fight between good and evil in the astonishing debut novel from poet Lewis (Space Struck). Yara keeps to themself and maintains a strict cleaning regimen to manage their OCD. It's a shock to their system when they're visited by God, who makes them promise to kill Dominic, leader of mythical antagonists the Bad Guys. Deeply disconcerted but determined to complete the mission, Yara sets out with a lie-detecting newt atop a speaking whale to visit various islands where God has isolated others for "suffering as a form of worship." Meanwhile, the prophet Adrena, who yearns to follow her mother's path of deathless assumption into heaven, is affronted that God did not choose her to take on Dominic. She marches into the camp of the Good Guys, on the opposite side of a mountain from the Bad Guys, and falsely claims that God has nominated her, not Yara. As a decisive battle approaches between the Good Guys and the Bad Guys, a distracted God delivers newspapers and judges bodybuilding contests, while the would-be heroes wrestle with doubts and the impact of their choices. Lewis stacks zany action onto the weighty and wry story of an unreliable God, suggesting the deity is playing both sides. This is sublime.
Customer Reviews
Maybe it should be a 2 1/2
I’m disappointed. Truly. Such good reviews. I know, I know. I should have read between the lines. There were hints I wouldn’t like it. Perhaps I’m a troglodyte. I’m not really one to read experimental genres. I was expecting to be blown away. I obviously don’t get it. I love the Iliad, I’m so-so on the Odyssey. But this book I consider a waste of my time.