Set in Toronto’s seedy underbelly, The Green Hotel challenges our notions of "Toronto the good." Rich in detail, the book engages us with gritty realism and a startling portrayal of a life steeped in sex, drugs and pyromania as a young man tries to cope with the anxiety of co-existing with a suicidal father. Despite the all-enveloping despair, the main character, through moments of deep reflection and self-awareness, manages to harvest some light from the darkness.