Here Goes Nothing: A Novel [9781443473323]

Overview

From the bestselling author of Snap comes a heartfelt comedy about the down-and-almost-out residents of a crumbling apartment building who just may need each other to find a way to start again—for readers of Kevin Wilson, Emily Austin and Fredrik Backman

Magnus hates his job as the super of Stuckey Manor, a dilapidated low-rise in Vancouver’s West End. He can’t deal with the tenants’ litany of complaints, preferring to numb himself with beer and rom-coms instead. This was not how his life was supposed to go. Worse, the job was given to him out of pity by his ex-best friend, who’s just had a baby with Magnus’s ex-wife.

The other residents are people who also, for reasons both comic and heartbreaking, can’t seem to move forward. Constance, once a celebrated news anchor and radio host, rages against her infamous firing and the indignities of aging. Michael is trapped in a loveless marriage to Other Michael. Joan is an agoraphobic librarian who sees danger around every corner. And Petar is a widower who harbours a secret. A secret that involves a lot of sequins.

The tenants keep to themselves—that is, until the arrival of Charlie and her know-it-all nine-year-old son, Ollie. Magnus finds Charlie irksome and irresistible in equal measure. The mother and son, together with an exuberant, drooling boxer dog named Fugly, upend the tenants’ lives, forcing each of them to examine the reasons why they are stuck. But Charlie and Ollie have a secret, too. A big one. And when their secret is exposed, they all—even Fugly—play a part in saving the day.

Laugh out loud funny, tender and wry, Here Goes Nothing is a tale about finding the courage to start again in life, even when it seems impossible, and about finding community right next door.