I find a really good Canadian-written comedy can be hard to find. With very few exceptions, much of our popular literature is full of struggle and pain. One of those exceptions is Terry Fallis, who won comedy awards for his first book, Best Laid Plans. 

Moving away from the comedy of Canadian politics, Up and Down is about David Stewart, a communications pro who leaves politics to work at a multinational PR firm and is set to work on a project to increase people’s interest in the space program. Through that, it is decided that two citizens would go to space on the next launch, and he is responsible for making sure it all goes well. When an unorthodox candidate from northern BC is selected as the Canadian contestant, the pressure is on both David and the candidate to pass the hurdles required of NASA and the PR firm, who see the selection as a PR catastrophe, particularly in the more conservative US, and somebody unfit for space. 

Much like Best Laid Plans, I had a riot with this book. Fallis is funny and sharp-witted, drawing pointed conclusions about the difference between Canada and the US, the  public relations industry, the impacts of trying to be a good person in a career typically lambasted as one for the soulless, and also gender politics. There are many strong women in the book held up in comparison against strong-willed men, highlighting the difference between those two personality traits, of course. While the description of one “granola” woman falls close enough to roasting that it may cross the line for some people, the same character is cast in an incredibly positive light throughout the book, and was one of the most impressive fictional women I’ve read about in a long time.

This book made me laugh, but also tugged at my heartstrings to such a degree that I wouldn’t be surprised if this book could bring tears out of any other reader. I loved this book, and will happily revisit it the next time I need a laugh.