Readers will have high expectations for a hilarious read, but several moments meant to be funny fell flat. In 2013, Canadian booksellers made him Author of the Year. His previous titles capitalize on his trademark humour as well: Up and Down, The High Road, Poles Apart, No Relation (also a Leacock winner). It also aired on CBC in 6-parts and was a stage musical performed in Vancouver. However, after he reunites with his brother, the conclusion of the story feels inevitable.įallis is best known for his 2008 debut novel The Best Laid Plans, winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humor and the 2011 Canada Reads competition. The stakes felt high at the outset of the novel because we join Alex at rock bottom after his mother has just died, and he can’t even speak to his co-workers.

Interesting anecdotes and intrigue invites readers to invest in Alex’s adventure, and to root for him, but at no point do you feel like this won’t be the outcome. He also finds out he has a twin brother, and sets out to find both him and his father in a wild ride from Canada, to the UK, to Russia, and back.Īlex’s shyness stems from one traumatic incident in high school Fallis skillfully reveals in epigraphs to every chapter. After the death of his mother, he discovers that she has been receiving monthly payments of $5,000. One Brother Shy follows Alex MacAskill, a shy computer programmer who works for a tech company that produces facial recognition software.

One Brother Shy by Terry Fallis