Splitsville is a short novel set partly in 1970s Toronto, in which the city becomes like a character in the story. When one character goes missing, his nephew (many years later) attempts to find out more about his disappearance. The urban history was interesting, but the characters' motivations were sometimes confusing and undeveloped.

This Novella is all about changes. Part of the book is a flashback to 1971. Hal owns a used bookstore in Toronto and lives above the store. The neighborhood is changing. The city would like to build an expressway through the neighborhood. At a funeral of a customer he meets Lily an activist teacher. They fall in love and out of love and Hal disappears. Interspersed is Hal's nephew's narration as he awaits the birth of his first child. I really enjoyed the characters and the setting. The author says a lot in a few words. I found the book to be a quick and easy read. Enjoy

Grab your dictionary! Splitsville is filled with words that are rather obscure, but simply add to the dimension of this novel. Splitsville was nothing like what I expected, odd at times and disjointed in others. Still this is a very curious story of an older man and a middle aged woman coming together for a brief time in the early 70s.

Sachs is a bookstore owner, which is the reason I was drawn to this book. Much of the story takes place around and in the bookstore proper. He meets Lily at her father’s funeral. Lily’s father was a friend of Sachs. The affair is the result of this meeting and the subsequent one, as Lily disposes of her father’s book collection. The location of this bookstore is in Toronto, a town in flux during this time period. A central character in the book is the growth of Toronto and how to manage it.

Lily is an activist. Lily doesn’t want to see the bookstore locale changed for growth. The local mafioso and government do. This is how the growth of Toronto becomes a character in the story. Lily is also a schoolteacher. She teaches grade 11 civics at the local high school, but is being censored by her principal for teaching about local civic events.

Peppered through this short novel are other colorful characters such as Lily’s best friend Phoebe. The mysterious Es, apparently Sachs’ niece, is in some part telling the story. Her accounting is interspersed with those of Sachs and Lily. Min & Larry are Sachs’ sister and brother in law, who are co-owners of the bookstore. Joe Sharpe is the local slumlord who wants to force people out of both their homes and businesses to appease a developer as well as line his pockets. Each one of these characters gives the story a well-roundedness and depth that would be missing if it was just about Sachs and Lily.

I liked this book because of the depth of the story. I really enjoyed reading about what life was like at that time, which is when I was just a child. This book is short but a slow read. There is a profundity to it. As I said at the beginning, make sure you have your dictionary nearby, because there are words spoken and written that aren’t used everyday.

Unable to review this book due to electronic formats not being compatible with my Kindle or computer. Physical copy did not arrive. Thus, I'm giving this a neutral review.

I liked the idea of this book but the writing didn't meet my expectations. It felt very disjointed and while unique it was difficult to complete it.

I was excited to read Splitsville because of its backdrop of Toronto in the 1960s. There were many references to well-known areas and also the controversial, and eventually cancelled, bid to build the Spadina Expressway. Although I enjoyed the Toronto history, it never seemed to come alive or create an atmosphere or lived setting. I think that anyone unfamiliar with Toronto would struggle with having a sense of these areas without looking them up or exploring them outside of this novel.

The main story focuses on Aitch, who is considering what happened to his uncle, Hal Sachs, who disappeared many years ago. Hal's bookstore was a desirable location for builders who wanted to see the Spadina Expressway come to fruition, but unfortunately it was not as desirable for those looking to buy books. Before his disappearance, Hal is involved a relationship with a teacher/social activist and we are given a sense of their brief relationship. Again, the story didn't work for me. I found the writing too spare and stilted and it was difficult to connect with the characters. I'm rounding up to 3 stars because there were brief moments that I loved, although the book didn't work for me, overall.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Coach House Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Splitsville conjures up the age of the Beat Generation merely by it's title. While not actually being the stream-of-conciousness style of Kerouac, there is an essence of the times embedded in this novel. The writing is functional, although sometimes the plot becomes vague but this really only requires an effort from the reader. Does "Splitsville" represent the societal division that exist in the fight to have the expressway abandoned? We don't really find out but we can share in the ultimate victory and it can set a blueprint for future struggles.

I enjoyed the read as it created just enough mystery to hold my attention. Was Hal a victim of his determination to stay put? Was LIly's rejection enough to set him on a a path to obscurity? Read it and decide for yourself.
Thanks to NetGalley and Coach House Books for this ARC