For readers of Jennifer Egan and Heather O’Neill comes a blazing debut novel set in the DIY music and arts scene of the early 2000s
In the fevered summer of 2001, charismatic activist Rob and his collective set up a squat in an abandoned house. His bandmate and lover, Ben, watches anxiously as his own plans are threatened by Rob’s choice of radical politics over music. Meanwhile, photographer Alex finds herself torn between documenting the chaos of the scene and saving the friendship that binds them together. When the police break up the squat, Rob vanishes, and the dream dies.
Ten years later, Alex and Ben find each other again—she’s conquering Montreal’s contemporary art world, he’s running a thriving restaurant in Ottawa. But their success feels hollow. As they excavate their shared past, they must confront the ghost of Rob’s disappearance and the trauma that pushed them apart.
Pulsing with the raw energy of basement punk shows and DIY creativity, late-night manifestos and first heartbreaks, Temporary Palaces is a stunning debut that captures a generation caught between idealism and survival, art and activism, the dreams that define us and the compromises that save us.
For readers of Jennifer Egan and Heather O’Neill comes a blazing debut novel set in the DIY music and arts scene of the early 2000s
In the fevered summer of 2001, charismatic activist Rob and his collective set up a squat in an abandoned house. His bandmate and lover, Ben, watches anxiously as his own plans are threatened by Rob’s choice of radical politics over music. Meanwhile, photographer Alex finds herself torn between documenting the chaos of the scene and saving the friendship that binds them together. When the police break up the squat, Rob vanishes, and the dream dies.
Ten years later, Alex and Ben find each other again—she’s conquering Montreal’s contemporary art world, he’s running a thriving restaurant in Ottawa. But their success feels hollow. As they excavate their shared past, they must confront the ghost of Rob’s disappearance and the trauma that pushed them apart.
Pulsing with the raw energy of basement punk shows and DIY creativity, late-night manifestos and first heartbreaks, Temporary Palaces is a stunning debut that captures a generation caught between idealism and survival, art and activism, the dreams that define us and the compromises that save us.
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — Apr 21, 2026 |
| Specifications | 328 pages | 5.25 in x 8 in |
| Keywords | Books About Housing; Punk Music; Books About Bands; Gay Books; LGBTQ; Gifts for Gays; CanLit; Books About Masculinity; In Too Deep; Evenings and Weekends; Housing Crisis; Bisexual; Love Triangle; Underground Music; Protest; Photography; Counterculture; Punk Rock; Y2K; Books for your 20s; |
| Written By |
JEFF MILLER is the author of the award-winning creative nonfiction collection Ghost Pine: All Stories True. His stories have appeared in several anthologies, and he frequently publishes criticism. Jeff holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia and lives in Nova Scotia. |
| Written By |
|
JEFF MILLER is the author of the award-winning creative nonfiction collection Ghost Pine: All Stories True. His stories have appeared in several anthologies, and he frequently publishes criticism. Jeff holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia and lives in Nova Scotia. |
“Jeff Miller writes with intensity and grace about those pitched moments in our lives when everything is changing before we quite know it. Temporary Palaces is a gritty, moving debut about young people finding and losing themselves—in music, in politics, in love—and realizing that since, as the saying goes, the struggle never ends, the moments of connection, joy, and integrity along the way really matter.” —Sam Lipsyte, author of No One Left to Come Looking for You
”“Jeff Miller’s debut novel is like a plainspoken, punk-rock hymn, singing praise and gratitude to the lovers, fighters, artists, and burnouts whose bands, art projects, friendships, and political movements were torn to pieces—but endured somehow, all the same. This is a book that will pick you up off the floor of a mosh-pit and wrap you in its arms.” —Sean Michaels, author of Us Conductors
”“Temporary Palaces is a haunting ode to youthful idealism and art-making that tracks its protagonists’ grinding pivot to the career-building and long-term relationships of middle age. Jeff Miller welcomes readers into anarchist flop houses, music venues, and restaurant kitchens with revealing detail, gentle humour, and an open heart.” —Kevin Chong, author of The Double Life of Benson Yu
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