Emily St John Mandel is the type of writer where, even if I'm not quite vibing with what's going on, I enjoy every word.

Last night in Montreal is unlike most of EStJM's other books, two of which are in my top favourite books of all time. This is a realistic sad story about a handful of people coping with the kind of loneliness that comes from feeling unloved and unlovable. There's a lot of dualism self/shadow self stuff going on where you can't look away from watching these pairs of characters echo each other's miseries. The title gains painful ambiguity as the story progresses.

My current life mission is to feel enamored by montreal winters rather than enter full hibernation like I usually do, but EStJM's descriptions of the ice-cold winds on st Catherine's aren't making it easy. The city generally is painted in a very unflattering and uninviting light, which has been diametrically opposed from my own experience with it - but I'll forgive EStJM given the beauty of the prose.

Reconmended if you are looking to read Paper Towns by John Green as sad adult literary fiction, love languages, and hate the bitter cold of Montreal.

More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/Wj9tTFqo-BM