Overview

A violent mob disrupts the East Toronto funeral service for unemployed loner Paul Shoreditch. The riot attracts sensational media attention, especially online, but is soon forgotten. Meanwhile, aspiring journalist, film fanatic and Internet addict Jackie Roberts discovers a bizarre online community that has been sullying Paul's name for years. What did Paul do to these people? Why is their animosity so intense? Why are they so secretive? As Jackie learns about Paul's life story, she finds herself empathising with him despite her gut feelings, but nothing prepares her for the truth. This offbeat mix of satire and mystery dares to tackle some of the most fiery and controversial social topics of our generation. AUTHOR: Jeff Cottrill is a fiction writer, poet, journalist and spoken-word artist based in Toronto, Canada.

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9780645350548

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Reviews

From Twitterized mobthink to Facebook fact-bashing to knuckle-dragging attacks on science, our current reality-online or off-presents formidable problems for the satirist. Cottrill takes up that challenge and runs with it, skewering journalists, online vigilantes, and cyberbullies with undisguised glee. - Giles Blunt, bestselling author of the John Cardinal mysteries Jeff Cottrill throws himself into the novel-publishing arena with one hell of a debut. Equal parts mystery, character study and cautionary tale, Hate Story gives cancel culture, the Twitterazzi and social-justice warriors a well-deserved kick in the trigger! - Timothy Carter, author of Epoch, Evil? and Young Nostradamus Refreshingly unique, Hate Story is as far from formulaic fiction as one could get. A master of satire, Cottrill captures the ugly side of human nature, in a day and age when social media allows the ugly to hide behind a keyboard, to perfection. - Skylar J. Wynter, bestselling author of Pieces of Humanity Hate Story is a fresh, funny, original and oh-so-timely tale of the dark side of social media and Internet shaming. Jeff Cottrill is that rare male author who can write compelling and authentic female characters: Jackie is sarcastic, funny and very relatable. Told with biting satirical humour, Hate Story goes down easy and hits hard. - Heather Babcock, author of Filthy Sugar I spend hours trawling bookshops for a gem that breaks the mold, and with Hate Story, I found it. Jeff Cottrill pens a picture of humanity that is razor sharp, dark, but above all else, uniquely original. From funeral scenes to social media trolling, the satire does not stop unearthing the absurdities of family, friends, enemies, strangers... and life. The narrative hurtles along at break-neck speed and does not let up for a second. These beautifully constructed characters left me with the knowledge that we should be ashamed of ourselves to be taking up space in this world, but for now, while we are here, I'm going to recommend indulging in this five-star baby to give some much-needed relief from our very own flawed existence. - Kelly Van Nelson, poet & bestselling author of Graffiti Lane and Punch & Judy

"""From Twitterized mobthink to Facebook fact-bashing to knuckle-dragging attacks on science, our current reality-online or off-presents formidable problems for the satirist. Cottrill takes up that challenge and runs with it, skewering journalists, online vigilantes, and cyberbullies with undisguised glee."" - Giles Blunt, bestselling author of the John Cardinal mysteries ""Jeff Cottrill throws himself into the novel-publishing arena with one hell of a debut. Equal parts mystery, character study and cautionary tale, Hate Story gives cancel culture, the Twitterazzi and social-justice warriors a well-deserved kick in the trigger!"" - Timothy Carter, author of Epoch, Evil? and Young Nostradamus ""Refreshingly unique, Hate Story is as far from formulaic fiction as one could get. A master of satire, Cottrill captures the ugly side of human nature, in a day and age when social media allows the ugly to hide behind a keyboard, to perfection."" - Skylar J. Wynter, bestselling author of Pieces of Humanity ""Hate Story is a fresh, funny, original and oh-so-timely tale of the dark side of social media and Internet shaming. Jeff Cottrill is that rare male author who can write compelling and authentic female characters: Jackie is sarcastic, funny and very relatable. Told with biting satirical humour, Hate Story goes down easy and hits hard."" - Heather Babcock, author of Filthy Sugar ""I spend hours trawling bookshops for a gem that breaks the mold, and with Hate Story, I found it. Jeff Cottrill pens a picture of humanity that is razor sharp, dark, but above all else, uniquely original. From funeral scenes to social media trolling, the satire does not stop unearthing the absurdities of family, friends, enemies, strangers... and life. The narrative hurtles along at break-neck speed and does not let up for a second. These beautifully constructed characters left me with the knowledge that we should be ashamed of ourselves to be taking up space in this world, but for now, while we are here, I'm going to recommend indulging in this five-star baby to give some much-needed relief from our very own flawed existence."" - Kelly Van Nelson, poet & bestselling author of Graffiti Lane and Punch & Judy"

Author Information

"Jeff Cottrill is a fiction writer, poet, journalist and spoken-word artist based in Toronto, Canada. He has headlined in countless literary series throughout Canada, the U.K., the U.S., France and Ireland over the last twenty years. His performance style is influenced by slam conventions, but subverts them with wit, ironic humour and a satirical tone.Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeff has continued his spoken-word career via Zoom, which has allowed him to attend literary events in Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Lebanon and other new places. In 2021, he had poetry and flash fiction published in several international anthologies, including Paper Teller Diorama (New York), Sinew: Ten Years of Poetry in the Brew (Nashville), Globalisation: The Sphere Keeps Spinning (Sydney, Australia), and Things Fall Apart: Mischievous Machines (Leeds, U.K.).Other short fiction and poems by him have appeared in The South Shore Review and The Dreaming Machine. Jeff was also featured in the poetry podcasts Wordsmith (Australia) and Poets and Muses (U.S.) last year. His poem ""This Is Not Real Poetry"" (published in this year's Brownstone Poets anthology) is currently nominated for a Pushcart Prize.Jeff's journalistic credits include OHS Canada, Toronto.com, NOW, EYE WEEKLY, Exclaim!, Post City Magazines, YellowPages.ca, Divorce Magazine, JobPostings and Digital Journal. In 2015, he was nominated for a Kenneth R. Wilson Memorial Award for his OHS Canada article ""Off the Rails."" He holds a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Toronto, as well as a certificate in creative writing from Humber College. Jeff is the former Literary Editor of Burning Effigy Press.Hate Story is Jeff's seventh or eighth attempt at a first novel.Jeff likes writing, movies, travel and puppies."

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