Ring, Paperback

A fresh take on the romance novel from the Giller Prize-winning author of Fifteen Dogs

From their very first encounter, it would seem that Gwen and Tancred were made for one another. Like all good romances, Ring will bring them together ... eventually. But first there is, of course, a wrinkle.

Gwenhwyfar's mother, Helen Odhiambo Lloyd, upon intuiting that her daughter is in love, gives her a ring that has been passed down, with three mysterious books, from endless generations of mothers to their daughters. The ring grants the bearer an opportunity to change three things about her beloved - but the ring demands things in return for its miracles.

Complete with a long narrative poem about Aphrodite, Ring turns the literary romance upside down and shakes out its pockets as it meditates on the past, on magic, on honour, on faith, and yes, on love.

Following on the heels of Pastoral, Fifteen Dogs, The Hidden Keys, and Days by Moonlight, Ring completes Alexis's Quincunx, a group of five genre-bending, philosophically sophisticated, and utterly delightful novels.

"A great novel doesn't try to answer questions, but, like Days by Moonlight, complicates them. " --The Globe and Mail on Days by Moonlight

"This imaginative travelogue will amuse readers even as it raises weightier issues. " --Publishers Weekly on Days by Moonlight

"I'm far from being a dog person, but as a book person I loved this smart, exuberant fantasy from start to finish. " --The Guardian on Fifteen Dogs

"A clever exploration of our essence, communication, and how our societies are organized. " --Kirkus Reviews on Fifteen Dogs