Deuce: (Inanna Poetry & Fiction)

Family tensions escalate when Pete, A.K.A. Philippa, A.K.A. Phil abruptly moves to a new city. Gilda Peterborough has always worried about her twin, but when Pete deletes his Facebook page, she is doubly concerned. Pete, A.K.A. Philippa, A.K.A. Phil, is intersex, and Gilda credits all of Pete's social problems with this biological fact. As far as Pete is concerned, however, the problems all lie with Gilda, who is constantly on his case for reasons that are unclear to him. Meanwhile, Pete and Gilda's mother Beth frets about both of her twins, neither of whom seem to be thriving. Beth tries desperately to be a patient and laid back parent, but when Pete abruptly decides to move away from Edmonton to Montreal, both Gilda and Beth are separately compelled to try to find him and somehow reconcile the family's unresolved past, a family history haunted by the influence of Ralph Peterborough, a father who has never accepted his child for who they are. Events in Edmonton and Montreal spiral with the dual reckoning of Beth in one city and Pete and Gilda in another, but ultimately Beth, Pete and Gilda will have the final say in their relationships and their identities. Fiction.

About the Author :
Born in Edmonton to Italian immigrant parents, Vivian Zenari has worked as a librarian, technical editor, and post-secondary instructor of English literature and writing. Vivian has a PhD from the University of Alberta with a thesis on nineteenth-century American literature. Currently Vivian works for Athabasca University, where she teaches grammar, introduction to poetry and drama, film and literature, creative nonfiction, and fiction. Her writing has been published in literary magazines and journals, and her work has been included in a number of academic publications. She lives in Edmonton with her husband, son, and cat. Deuce is her debut novel.

Review :
"What happens when you throw the dynamics of game theory, project management methodology, and Ellison's Invisible Man together on a page? Add nine players: an intersex person, a conventional dad, a crafty-cool mom, an uptight sister, a straight friend, a trans-lover, a middle-aged gay couple, and a gay co-worker. Mix in the surprising affinities of two Canadian cities, Edmonton and Montreal, where this game plays out. Deuce is what happens. On the surface, this is a novel about an intersex person: Phillipa/Phil/Pete, someone's daughter/son/child, twin sister/brother/sibling, friend/lover. And the exploration of that paradox is breathtaking: What does it mean to live between worlds? How does one escape oneself to find oneself? How does one hold all these identities together and not fall short of everyone's expectations? Funny, audacious and real. Deuce is a masterful debut by a writer with a powerful voice." --Audrey J. Whitson, author of The Death of Annie the Water Witcher by Lightning "In prose as deceptively straightforward as her characters, Vivian Zenari has created a tale revealed in layers, peeled away one after another, surprising the reader with the poetry and turbulent complexity beneath the surface. With compassion and true insight, she tells of a family navigating secrets, lies and identity, travelling through time as fluid as gender. Deuce reminds us that we can invent our own game with our own rules. And the win, when it finally happens, is so much more satisfying than we anticipated." --Darrin Hagen, author of The Edmonton Queen