All Kidding Aside

by Jean-Christophe Réhel, Neil Smith (translator)

Louis, a young queer man, lives in Pointe-aux-Trembles, in Montreal's east end, with his rap-obsessed, schizophrenic brother and their terminally ill father. While working at a Tim Horton' s, Louis dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian.
Delivered in short, addictive chapters, All Kidding Aside deftly juggles themes of love, class, and grief with poetic mockery and spare, electric banter.

Genres: Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2025

Reviews

[julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite this book being a more atypical read, I found myself really enjoying the relationships that Rèhel crafts within the novel. The story follows our main character, Louis, as he attempts to navigate the world around him, including a tumultuous living situation with his brother and father.

At the beginning of the book, I found Rèhel's writing to be a little too disjointed, placing the reader seemingly mid-sentence without any contextual direction. Also, while I did connect with Louis' experience working at Tim Hortons (have you really worked in fast food if you had nightmares about different order combinations?), the story at times felt overrun with these unnecessary Canadian references, pulling away from the narrative rather than adding to it.

However, I did find that Rèhel really hits his stride as the second half of the novel unfolds. As we gain more insight into Louis' life and his relationships, the question of whether your obligations should lie with your family or yourself begins to plague Louis. I think this book also does a great job of exploring how feelings of grief don't exist within a vacuum, but instead can coexist with moments of happiness and anger.

I would actually recommend this book for readers who enjoyed Richard Van Camp's The Lesser Blessed. Despite the age difference between the protagonists, both stories explore ideas of class and familial responsibility in a Canadian setting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually, I’m not a fan of books written in first person POV and avoid them as much as possible.

However, I received access to this book as an ARC through NetGalley, and I’m so glad I did, because it was well worth breaking my cardinal rule of no first person POV.

All Kidding Aside is a sharp, staccato tale about the lives of a small family in Quebec, Canada: two adult sons, and their ailing father. Sprinkled amidst the pulse-beat rhythm of complex family dynamics is a startling amount of humour. I started reading this book on a ferry ride to Vancouver, where certain scenes and the occasional turn of phrase had me laughing under my breath. It’s no surprise that I couldn’t put it down, and finished it that same evening.

I won’t get too deep into the plot, as I don’t want to spoil anything before the book has even had a chance to reach the shelves. What I will say, though, is I highly recommend this book to all folks upon its release, and I eagerly look forward to reading more by the author.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really get a lot out of this one which was a bummer - I thought it would focus a bit more on Louis’s desire to be a comedian and his journey to do that, but instead his desire to be a comedian stayed just a desire and the main plot of the book was him navigating his terminally ill father’s illness and his brother’s schizophrenia induced episodes.

It was alright but it’s not a book I’d return to.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was all Jerry Seinfeld’s fault. All kidding aside, the book was very easy-to-read for such a sad and poignant story.

[PAUL · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found here:

https://plenitudemagazine.ca/a-bitter...