You Crushed It - (Literature in Translation) by Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

With the caustic daring of Bret Easton Ellis and the offbeat, psychological insight of Douglas Coupland, You Crushed It is a captivating exploration of love and the corroding nature of power in creative industries.

Raph Massi is crushing it. A young up-and-coming comedian, he's successfully navigating the internal cosmos of the stand-up industry and burying long-borne insecurities with each successful gig. He does so with the support of his girlfriend, Laurie, who narrates the book, sharing their sensual, mundane moments of new love and the creative collaborations that follow.

But, when Laurie dumps him, Raph's heartbreak metastasizesinto paranoia, cruelty, and a path that is as lonely as it is destructive. Baril Guérard shares an exacting portrayal of the innermost thoughts we hide from the world and from ourselves. The result is a devastating critique of the soft underbelly of toxic masculinity and the complicated ferocity of those who protect it.

You Crushed It is an eminently readable, witty reflection on artistic prowess, community, and the intoxication of success.

Review Quotes

"Despite being a story set in the world of stand-up comedy, You Crushed It is melancholy in the best way. A page-turner fairy tale for grown-ups--told from the most unique perspective and in full control of its brilliantly ambitious timeline--it is a tale of love, success, and betrayal. What I liked the most about it, however, was its intimacy that turned us, readers, into witnesses of an incredibly nuanced portrayal of a heartbreak." --Jowita Bydlowska, author of Monster

"Heartache, psychic tailspins, so-hip-it-hurts scenesters, and the pursuit of the ever-elusive punchline, You Crushed It has all the makings of a future classic. Baril Guérard and Smith are a literary pairing destined for greatness." --Jean Marc Ah-Sen, author of Kilworthy Tanner

"Beyond its fascinating premise, You Crushed It is a rare kind of love story, one that dissects the psyche of a man suffering through a painful breakup. The sympathy we at first feel for stand-up comic Raph Massi turns to pity, then impatience, as he clings to the paranoid belief that he's the butt of a sick joke and tries to take everyone down with him." --Le Devoir

"Caustic, sarcastic, and raw, You Crushed It shines a spotlight on the world of comedy and what it reveals isn't pretty. An up-and-coming young comedian is totally shattered when he's dumped by his girlfriend, who narrates their story in the second person and future tense (a daring choice). A captivating novel that gets under the skin where all our insecurities, pettiness, and contradictions lie." --La Presse

About the Author

JEAN-PHILIPPE BARIL GUÉRARD is an actor and writer who lives in Montreal. He is the author of four novels: Sports et divertissements (published in English as Sports and Pastimes), Royal (winner of the Prix littéraire des collégiens), Manuel de la vie sauvage (which was translated into Spanish), and Haute démolition (You Crushed It). He also co-wrote Les Cicatrisés de Saint-Sauvignac with three other writers. Several of his books have been adapted for the stage and television, including Royal, Haute démolition, and Manuel de la vie sauvage. He also writes for the stage and screen.

NEIL SMITH is a writer and translator from Montreal. He has won the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the Quebec Writers' Federation First Book Prize. He has also been nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award for Translation, the Sunburst Award, the Journey Prize, the Prix des libraires du Québec, and the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award. His fiction has been translated into eight languages.