Fall is a page-turning novel by Canadian writer Colin McAdam. It is the story about the contradictory lives of two characters Noel and Julius. The Ottawa boarding school where the story takes place is called St. Ebury. Early on Noel describes St. Ebury as “A place of traditions, but the traditions weren’t old. Like most private schools it was part fantasy, part reality and therefore, all reality.”

The story remains in first person but switches between characters chapter to chapter. The novel begins with Julius describing having sex in the back of a limo with his girlfriend Fall. The second chapter is Noel’s description of the school and his relationship with Julius.

A downside to McAdam’s writing is his portrayal of the only American student, Julius, as a sex-crazed adolescent and makes Noel more articulate but certainly more lost in his fantasies. As Julius, McAdam’s writes unintelligibly and in fragments. As Noel, McAdam writes in beautiful prose that are vivid and colorful. Another aspect of the writing that falls short is the dialogue.

“No I say. Yes.”

“Do you tell him about me?”

“Are you hungry.”

“A little. Let’s sit down for a second.”

Noel is infatuated with the people around him, sometimes to the point of obsession. He dresses in Julius’ clothes when he isn’t around and imagines himself being with Fall. He is the son of a Canadian diplomat who is stationed in Australia.

He is constantly working out, reading or dreaming of Fall. His lazy eye and a grade school fight where he bit off a piece of another kid’s arm have turned him into a social outcast.

However, when Julius extends the olive branch of friendship, Noel clings to him and begins to immolate him. Noel describes Julius as innocent but being with Julius and hearing him talk about Fall he says, “I got annoyed sometimes, wondering what he could possibly know about love, when love was what I felt for her.”

Sadly, the character of Fall is little more than two-dimensional. She seems to only play the role as a woman desired, as nothing more than sexual gratification embodied.

The plot is edgy and McAdam’s throws a curve-ball or two to make it interesting.

McAdam’s uses a complicated form of foreshadowing—a future self to remember the past.

Despite a few downfalls, the book is certainly worth a read. It is a well-paced novel with vibrant descriptions and remarkable insights into the human psyche.

Fall will be available in June.