"This book has it all—it's hilarious, moving, bawdy, empathetic, and packed with beauty and insight. Readers will be cheering for every one of these characters, and this book is a reminder that there's always more than one kind of victory."
—J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
"Ali Bryan is a comedic genius—the kind of writer who makes you laugh until your guts hurt, and then turns around and sucker punches you with a truth so powerful it breaks your heart. The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships is a wise, hilarious, big-hearted novel that made me want to move to Crow Valley, practice up on my singing, and hang out with this motley crew of characters in all their quirky, messy, charming, relatable glory. Strap yourself in, this is one wild ride."
—Amy Jones, bestselling author of We're All In This Together
"This is undoubtedly a book we need right now. The big, bold cast in this big, bold story serves as an able reminder that life is deep and rich and fun and tragic. It's all these things, daily, and there’s nobility in the adventure we undertake toward each sundown; every second of every day is worth it, whether glad or bad. The buckets of humor that Ali dumps atop it all makes this karaoke-fest a fine lot of fun, too. In these pages, there’s love and loss, life and death, drama, danger, mystery, and poutine. Never has so much hinged on a karaoke regional qualifier. This book is a dazzling spectacle. You won’t be able to turn away."
—Bradley Somer, author of Fishbowl and Extinction
"Ali Bryan has written a haunting, gritty and often funny meditation on love, loss, family, and forgiveness and how it all ripples through a caring community. The pages practically turned themselves, and the story and characters have been with me ever since. Bravo!"
—Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour
"[A] madcap romp that will have you laughing all the way to the last page."
—Good Housekeeping
"[T]he antic and darkly comic latest from Bryan."
—Publishers Weekly
05/08/2023
In the antic and darkly comic latest from Bryan (The Figgs), a small town near the Canadian Rockies holds a regional karaoke competition while an inmate escapes from the prison where many of the residents are employed. The action takes place over one night, and Bryan switches, sometimes confusingly, among the points of view of five people connected to correctional officer Dale Jepson, who died in a forest fire the year before. They are Dale’s widow, Roxanne, who works for the mayor; Dale’s best friend and fellow guard, Brett Farquhar; Brett’s wife, Val, also a guard; Molly Chivers, a woman who blames herself for Brett’s death because he saved her in the fire; and Marcel, the escapee who was transferred to Crow Valley from a prison in Quebec. As the show goes on despite the news of an escape, Marcel invades the homes and befriends the children of those obliviously caught up in their performances. Though the many subplots don’t all cohere, Bryan provides entertainment with the ups and down of the competition and the bumbling efforts by Marcel to evade capture. There’s fun to be had, but this often buckles under its own weight. (July)
2023-05-09
A small-town karaoke championship is the backdrop for grief, forgiveness, glory, and a prison break.
Crow Valley is hosting its first karaoke championship since losing its star singer a year ago in a wildfire. Dale Jepson was more than just a karaoke celebrity—he was also a prison guard, a devoted husband, and one of the Canadian town’s most beloved residents. His widow, Roxanne, is so lost without him that she carries his ashes around in a thermos, wears a headlamp everywhere she goes, and communes with his spirit by eating Tic Tacs from a container he left behind. But Roxanne, one of the judges for the karaoke championship, isn’t the only Crow Valley resident who’s having a hard time. Dale’s best friend, Brett, wants to perform a suitable tribute to Dale while also winning back his wife’s love. Brett’s wife, Val, is a prison guard who’s struggling to remain sober and unable to forgive Brett for cheating on her. Molly wants to stun the crowd with a karaoke performance that shows she’s more than “just” a mother as she deals with resentment over the way her life turned out and guilt over her role in Dale’s death. And then there’s Marcel, a convicted murderer and arsonist who manages to escape from prison during one of the most chaotic and eventful days in the town’s history. With Crow Valley, Bryan creates a small town that’s both quirky and disturbingly realistic. While her characters have flaws (be they cheaters or murderers), Bryan shows sympathy and respect for all of them.
A surprising, darkly comic look at people dealing with tragedy and choosing to sing anyway.