Hovering World

Peter Dubé's debut novel follows the life of an intensely lonely man named Julian, who watches the flashing TV and wonders if "somebody else is looking at these same pictures and ... finding the same messages." Rather than gaze quixotically at the moon and wonder if someone is out there, Julian looks to the tube for hope. Julian's alienation is only accentuated by the fact that he is almost perpetually surrounded by friends. Peter Dubé creates a fine tension between Julian's complex inner monologue and the mostly shallow transactions within his social sphere. While the conversations are generally mundane, the reader must run to catch up with Julian's thoughts, which rattle around his mind like a marble in a maze.