saints, unexpected: a novel

​— SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 HAMILTON LITERARY AWARD IN FICTION ​--
​— SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 KERRY SCHOOLEY AWARD​ --
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​A nimble debut novel featuring a magical Niche and a motley cast of neighbourhood misfits.

When fifteen-year-old Mutton is robbed at gunpoint while working in her mother’s Hamilton thrift store, the thief makes off with an item that Mutton knows isn’t meant for him, hurling Mutton and her family​ into a summer of remarkable and heartbreaking events. From fighting unscrupulous developers to first loves to the anguish that comes from never knowing what your final words to a loved one might be, Saints, Unexpected reminds us of the magic that comes with each opportunity to begin again.



Cover design: Megan Fildes

​And local, too! Click on the links.

Epic Books

King West Books

A Different Drummer

The City & The City Books

praise for ​saints, unexpected


“This small gem of a novel will stay with you long after you finish reading.  It’s a mystery, a love story, a family drama,
​and it has just enough magic to keep you hooked to the last page.”

— Annabel Lyon, The Sweet Girl


"SAINTS, UNEXPECTED is not only a masterful evocation of the simple complexities of family life,
it’s also a moving tribute to a city and to those who have struggled to save it. 
Brent van Staalduinen has a sure eye and a powerful voice."

​— Wayne Grady, Emancipation Day

​​
"Brent van Staalduinen's SAINTS, UNEXPECTED takes on family, strife, and the magic of neighbourhoods
with a precise and compassionate hand. The details of Hamilton's downtown core are as delicate and unforgettable
​as his characters themselves—this is a novel filled with hope, both as gritty and as gentle as the city it explores."

— Amanda Leduc, The Miracles of Ordinary Men

 
"The streets of downtown Hamilton provide a brawny setting for this unflinching, yet tender novel.
​In its portrayal of characters who endure unforeseen tragedy to achieve hard-won consolation, 
​Saints, Unexpected affirms the ennobling power of love."

— Hugh Cook, Heron River


"SAINTS, UNEXPECTED is a glimpse into the magical quality of everyday life. 
Brent van Staalduinen creates an ordinary world and tinges it with the kind of mysticism
that I think we’d all like to imagine infuses our lives."

— James Leck, The Adventures of Jack Lime


reviews, etc.

Adele Gallogly's review at The Banner.

Norman Feliks's review at Broken Pencil Magazine

Reviews and ratings at Goodreads

Steven Buechler's review: "Coming to Terms with our Younger Pains"

First Fiction Fridays at All Lit Up

Podcast and brief review at Vianvi

Amy Kenny previews the novel and profiles Brent at The Hamilton Spectator

For inquiries about publicity and distribution of SAINTS, UNEXPECTED, contact:

Leigh Nash
Publisher
Invisible Publishing
PO Box 539
Marmora, ON K0K 2M0
phone 416.835.9107
info@invisiblepublishing.com

For all customer service questions please contact: info@invisiblepublishing.com

For all media requests please contact: promotion@invisiblepublishing.com

For all rights, academic and library inquiries contact: publisher@invisiblepublishing.com
With grateful acknowledgment of granting support from: ​