An elephant trainer in Italy, a writer-in-residence for an archaeological dig in Belize, and a theatre reviewer in Key West, Byron Rempel gets around. In his new book Truth is Naked, All Others Pay Cash, he reaches beyond established literary genres into somewhat uncharted territory. Whereas many novels are thinly disguised autobiography, Rempel believes it is much more interesting when we fictionalize our own lives, especially when it comes to sex. As proof he offers a post-modernist memoir, even though he isn’t sure what post-modernism means, never mind his own life.

Whether searching for the origins of pacifist Mennonites among murderers and polygamists, shovelling elephant droppings, or confronting the slow evaporation of his father’s brain, Rempel addresses the questions that haunt all of us: Where are we going, why, and what will it cost us, not including airport tax? The result is a collection of stories that are quite hilarious, often poignant and occasionally believable.

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