Mount Pleasant

By Don Gillmor

In middle age, debt has become the most significant relationship in Harry Salter's life. He was born to wealthy parents in leafy and privileged Rosedale, at a time when the city was still defined by its WASP elite. But nothing in life has turned out the way Harry was led to expect. He's unsure of his place in society, his marriage is crumbling, his son is bordering on estranged, and on top of it all his father is dying.
 
As he sits at his father's bedside, Harry inevitably daydreams about his inheritance. A couple of his father's millions would rescue him from his ballooning debt--maybe even save his marriage. But when the will is read, all that's left for Harry is $4200. Dale Salter's money is gone. Out of desperation and disbelief, Harry starts to dig into what happened to the money. As he follows a trail strewn with family secrets and unsavory suspicions, he discovers not only that old money has lost its grip and new money taken on an ugly hue, but that his whole existence been cast into shadow by the weight of his expectations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9780307360748

Don Gillmor

Don Gillmor is the author of To the River, which won the Governor General’s Award for nonfiction. He is the author of three novels, Long Change, Mount Pleasant, and Kanata, a two-volume history of Canada, Canada: A People’s History, and nine books for children, two of which were nominated for the Governor General’s Award. He was a senior editor at The Walrus, and his journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ, The Walrus, Saturday Night, Toronto Life, the Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star. He has won twelve National Magazine Awards and numerous other honours. He lives in Toronto.

Reviews for Mount Pleasant

[1n-5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mount Pleasant is a grand old cemetery, occupying prime real estate in the city of Toronto. It's a beautiful place and every time I walk there, I am intrigued by the lives and stories that have ended there. I enjoyed this book a lot. my one quibble: the ending wasn't very strong for me - it all seemed too tidy and convenient, which was a shame after all the energy, angst and intrigue Gillmor built up in the earlier chapters. I appreciated reading a novel about money -- having it, not having it, panicked over the lack of it...people (in the real world) are in a mess, i think, with their personal finances, and only one paycheque away from disaster. Gillmor also well captures the nuances of marriage and family. At times Mount Pleasant can seem like a straightforward read...but the characters and the story are actually quite layered.

[rdra1962 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It was hard to care about anything that happened in this book since all of the characters were so unlikeable. The "mystery" was not mysterious and there was o sense of urgency, the plot plodded, and the ended wrapped up all neat and tidy - ugh.