Alex & Zee

by Cordelia Strube

“Vivid and fresh and finely crafted, this is a book that will strike a chord with anyone who has loved, lived, or wondered how we manage, in the face of our fragility, to carry on.” — Nino Ricci

This is the story of Zee, an aimless ex-lawyer who has turned his inability to make a decision into a fine art, and his wife, Alex, a practical and hard-working social worker who feels her biological clock ticking loudly. Reverberating with the emotional crises of the urban adult, Alex & Zee is an offbeat portrait of contemporary relationships, full of wickedly astute observations of city life and its multifarious life forms. Grimly hilarious at every turn, this is a terrific debut novel.

Nominated for the 1995 W.H. Smith/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the recipient of widespread critical acclaim, Alex & Zee is the long-awaited reissue of Cordelia Strube’s biting take on contemporary romance.

Genres: Canada

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Read an interview and an excerpt of Cordelia's new novel, On the Shores of Darkness, There Is Light, in Numéro Cinq Magazine: http://goo.gl/9KOheD

Watch a video of Cordelia interacting with students at York University's Canadian Writers in Person here: https://youtu.be/7548Yv5E5qI

Cordelia Strube is an accomplished playwright and the author of nine critically acclaimed novels, including Alex & Zee, Teaching Pigs to Sing, and Lemon. Winner of the CBC literary competition and a Toronto Arts Foundation Award, she has been nominated for the Governor General’s Award, the Trillium Book Award, the WH Smith/Books in Canada First Novel Award, and the Prix Italia, and longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Strube is a two-time finalist for ACTRA’s Nellie Award celebrating excellence in Canadian broadcasting and a three-time nominee for the ReLit Award. She lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Cordelia Strube book I read was 'On the Shores of Darkness, There is Light', and I was blown away by it. I became so immersed in the characters and absolutely loved the book. So I dove into 'Alex & Zee' with high expectations, and unfortunately they were not met. It was still great writing and a decent read overall, but I just never found myself attached to the characters.

[Magdelanye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex & Zee is at heart a contemporary romance but, considering the inclinations of the author and her characters, we do not get the hearts and flowers part but the gritty underside of passionate commitment and the ambivalence of love.

why doesnt she feel as if she wants to live? Why does she feel like a blob?
If she values her life, why doesnt she get off her ass and enjoy every moment of it?
p97

so its a bit of a mystery, as well

[Marshaferz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not brilliant, but very enjoyable to read. The end of a dysfunctional relationship and the aftermath and growth that taks place.