In his first two, Governor General-shortlisted novels, Trevor Cole proved himself a master of drawing us into the shadowy side of human nature with sharp observation and warm wit. In PRACTICAL JEAN, he goes a step further: this is a deeply humorous and revelatory tale of an ordinary, small-town woman with the usual challenges of middle age - a do-nothing husband, a family that refuses to understand her - who realizes her fondest wish is to protect her dearest friends from the indignities of aging and illness. And that's when she decides to kill them!