"A plainspoken, punk-rock hymn … This is a book that will pick you up off the floor of a mosh pit and wrap you in its arms." -Sean Michaels
In the fevered summer of 2001, charismatic activist Rob and his collective set up a squat in an abandoned house. His bandmate and lover, Ben, watches anxiously as his own plans are threatened by Rob's choice of radical politics over music. Meanwhile, photographer Alex finds herself torn between documenting the chaos of the scene and saving the friendship that binds them together. When the police break up the squat, Rob vanishes, and the dream dies.
Ten years later, Alex and Ben find each other again-she's conquering Montreal's contemporary art world, he's running a thriving restaurant in Ottawa. But their success feels hollow. As they excavate their shared past, they must confront the ghost of Rob's disappearance and the trauma that pushed them apart.
Pulsing with the raw energy of basement punk shows and DIY creativity, late-night manifestos and first heartbreaks, Temporary Palaces is a blazing debut that captures a generation caught between idealism and survival, art and activism, the dreams that define us and the compromises that save us.
| ISBN: | 9781487013004 |
| Publication date: | 4th June 2026 |
| Author: | Jeff Miller |
| Publisher: | House of Anansi Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 328 pages |
| Genres: |
Modern and Contemporary Fiction Narrative theme: Love and relationships Narrative theme: Social issues |
"A plainspoken, punk-rock hymn … This is a book that will pick you up off the floor of a mosh pit and wrap you in its arms." -Sean Michaels
In the fevered summer of 2001, charismatic activist Rob and his collective set up a squat in an abandoned house. His bandmate and lover, Ben, watches anxiously as his own plans are threatened by Rob's choice of radical politics over music. Meanwhile, photographer Alex finds herself torn between documenting the chaos of the scene and saving the friendship that binds them together. When the police break up the squat, Rob vanishes, and the dream dies.
Ten years later, Alex and Ben find each other again-she's conquering Montreal's contemporary art world, he's running a thriving restaurant in Ottawa. But their success feels hollow. As they excavate their shared past, they must confront the ghost of Rob's disappearance and the trauma that pushed them apart.
Pulsing with the raw energy of basement punk shows and DIY creativity, late-night manifestos and first heartbreaks, Temporary Palaces is a blazing debut that captures a generation caught between idealism and survival, art and activism, the dreams that define us and the compromises that save us.
Temporary Palaces features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Narrative theme: Social issues
Temporary Palaces is available in Paperback
Temporary Palaces was written by Jeff Miller and published by House of Anansi Press
Temporary Palaces has 328 pages
£15.29