Scotiabank Giller-winner Sean Michaels is back with his widely anticipated second novel, The Wagers, a deeply satisfying story of long odds, magical heists and the dizzying gamble of life. Where does luck come from? What is it worth? And how much of it do you need to be happy?

Theo Potiris is a grocer and a comedian who never repeats his jokes. After 15 years of open mikes, he’s still waiting for his break–bicycling to the comedy club at night, stacking plums at his family’s grand and ramshackle supermarket by day. His girlfriend is halfway around the world, searching for enlightenment with a patron who happens to be the richest man on Earth, and when two other loved-ones get struck by bolts from the blue, Theo decides he can’t keep chasing his old dreams any longer. He resolves to trade his wishes in, pursuing a bigger score.

Here Sean Michaels’ novel takes a surprise left turn, away from the price of milk and into a shabby, beautiful, imaginary Montreal where peacocks strut on street corners and gamblers bet on sunny days. Theo uncovers a mysterious association of sports-obsessed mathematicians, The Rabbit’s Foot, which is turning probability into riches, and the vigilante No Name Gang, who steal luck from those who have taken more than their fair share.

Bursting with sheer story-telling pleasure and stylish prose, The Wagers carries you along on wave after wave of invention–a literary motorcycle chase that soon has you wondering about the randomness of good fortune and all the ways we choose to wage our lives.

Out September 2019

384 Pages Approx.

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Are  we sure that the author of Us Conductors, is the same one who wrote this mess?

Wow… I’ve  never been  more disappointed in a  book as I am now. Slow, grinding slow for  a large part of the  book kept me growing more and more resistent to  finishing the book. I’m finding it hard to believe I can love an author one moment only hate him so much in another. This book was a mess. It’s way too slow, the pacing is painful; and, the character development even slower. The concept feels unfinished and the climax… a waste of time.

A stinker to say the least.

I will give credit where it is due, however, and give credit to the author for his use of dialogue. It was effective.

I gave the book: