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Novel cover of 'No Relation' by Terry Fallis

By Terry Fallis

No Relation

Published February 2014

#1 BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE STEPHEN LEACOCK MEDAL FOR HUMOUR

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“Terry Fallis is fast becoming a master of fiction writing. Once again in No Relation, Fallis employs his understated whimsy and sense for irony in a hilarious chronicle… What delightful lunacy Fallis has concocted here, with a dollop of intrigue and even romance.”

— Montreal Gazette

“Fallis employs an easygoing yet compelling writing style. So what’s in a name? When it’s Terry Fallis, you know it means a good book.”

— National Post

“Terry Fallis writes with a light touch and fine sense of the inherent humanity of humour, while still addressing one of the biggest questions we all have to face: Who are you? Who are you really?”

— Will Ferguson, author of 419, winner of the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize

“Born of a cheerful mood and a clever mind, Terry Fallis’s No Relation is an endearing book with a big heart.”

— Trevor Cole, author of Practical Jean, winner of the 2011 Leacock Medal

“Terry Fallis is a brilliant and very funny writer who also understands the human heart. His words will split your side on one page, and put a lump in your throat on the next. You’ll not only come to like his quirky characters, you’ll want to meet them, and take care of them, too. Terry Fallis is a writer to watch, and more importantly, to read.”

— Ali Velshi, Senior Economic and Business Correspondent, NBC News
No-Relation-Cover

This is the story of a young copywriter in New York City. He’s worked at the same agency for fifteen years, and with a recent promotion under his belt, life is good. Then, one morning this copywriter finds himself unceremoniously fired from his job, and after he catches his live-in girlfriend moving out of their apartment a couple hours later, he’s also single. Believe it or not, these aren’t the biggest problems in this copywriter’s life. There’s something bigger, something that has been haunting him his whole life, something that he’ll never be able to shake. Meet Earnest Hemmingway.

What’s in a name? Well, if you share your moniker with the likes of some of the most revered, infamous, and sometimes dreaded names in history, plenty. This is Earnest’s lifelong plight, but now he’s had enough. It’s time to take back his name.

With the help of peers from newly-established support group for people with famous names, Earnest embarks on an unorthodox and kooky journey of self-discovery.

About Terry Fallis

Photo of Terry Fallis outdoors, greyscale

A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis is the award-winning author of nine national bestsellers, including his most recent, A New Season (2023), all published by McClelland & Stewart (M&S).

Terry has written for many publications including Maclean’s, Canadian Geographic, Reader’s Digest, Toronto Life, the Globe and Mail, the National Post, and the Toronto Star.

Terry lives in Toronto and can be reached at tfallis@gmail.com.