The Angel Riots

by Ibi Kaslik

Acclaimed author Ibi Kaslik takes readers backstage with up-and-coming Montreal band The Angel Riots on their American tour. The band's story unfolds through the eyes of Jim, a small-town violin prodigy who struggles with her past as well as her present; and Rize, an emotionally charged trombone player who is stuck playing sidekick to his best friend, charismatic lead singer Jules. As the band's popularity mounts, the pressures of road-life and success begin to complicate relationships and The Angel Riots' chaotic world threatens to implode. Dark and dazzling, this novel will firmly establish Kaslik's reputation as a young literary talent.

Genres: Canada, Fiction, Music, Contemporary

286 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

About the author

Ibi Kaslik is an internationally published novelist and freelance writer. Her recent novel, The Angel Riots, is a critically acclaimed rock n’ roll comic-tragedy and was nominated for Ontario’s Trillium award (2009). Her first novel, Skinny, was a New York Times Bestseller and has been published in numerous countries. Ibi teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.

Reviews

[Steven Buechler · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the book deals with a band on tour, it isn't a typical rock-band-on-tour book. (Which was the impression that it was going to be when I first picked it up.) More like a group of people from a dysfunctional families who have dysfuntional relationships and are trying hard to create some art that has some meaning for their fans. Very deep and thoughtful at times.

-From page 252-253
"Maybe the mystics are right: it's a total free-for-all and you're on your own.
Having crushed a living being, my own brother, in our mother's womb with our umbilical cord, my own karma was set from the start. I had been wrong to believe otherwise. I'd already broken the cardinal rule of not hurting another living being, and without even the benefit of direct oxygen.
Yawnie was born choking, and after the accident he always seemed to be throttled by something -cookies, water, air - maybe it made sense to leave him there, tangled on that cord.
I was born loving a man or rather an acorn of a man. I'd had that love and held it in my hands and then I crushed it like a pinked-skinned bird when it got too hard to take care of. I never deluded myself into believing my love was anything other than damage. I never told Isaac I loved him, as I knew it would curse him, so I committed my body, and my actions, to relay the message.
I'm only eighteen and it's already too late for me, I see that now. I've already harmed my soulmate, taken his name, abandoned him, so I've no right to talk about soulmates, or any of that. Because even if you've lucky enough to have one it doesn't mean you can be together.
I try to string my thoughts into some kind of logical order but it's useless. After drinking half a bottle of Jim Beam and holding my head in my hands for four straight hours, trying to feel something other than numb, I decide it's better to go rehearsal than stay in and watch the eleven o'clock report on Isaac. So, garbed in distressed leather armour and black gloves, with my case in tow, I head out into the endless April rain."

[Norhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written from two perspectives in parallel : the perspective of Rize, the trombonist of The Angel Riots, a rock band; and the perspective of Jim, a young woman who becomes a violinist in the Divine Light, an orchestra.
As the orchestra and the band merge, their members merge and collide as well, creating drama and controversy.
Not my kind of plot, but Kaslik's prose is charming, dense and at times mildly poetic - just the way I like it. A short, nice read.

[LeoNia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a local thrift store because the title caught my attention. I'm the type to read a book in one sitting, if not, usually in a week. though the story is very interesting, it moves very slow. it wasn't hard for me to read a few chapters and be content with putting it down. the author very clearly demonstrates a good image of the setting in the story, as someone who has been to Montreal many times it was very easy to almost feel like you were there. but my main qualm is with her characterization, though I believe it was written in two different perspectives to maybe show how similar the two main characters are, if not paying attention to the name at the top of the chapter it was hard to figure out who was talking until certain relationships or situations were brought up. by this I mean I just wish this was more of a language difference between Jim and Rize because I think anyone will tell you that an 18-year-old white girl who grew up in the country is going to have different slang and dialect than a 26ish rockstar. Besides the random racial descriptors of white characters and lack of diversity, (it was easy to use my imagination and add my own diversity) the book is well written and the plot is well thought out. I did recommend this book to a friend and she is currently reading my copy. I'd say a solid 3.5 out of ten.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5ish

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has the opposite problem that the author's debut novel Skinny has. In Skinny, the few pages written in third-person were much more intriguing and (in my opinion) well-written than the vast majority of the book, written in the first-person perspective. Here, the chapters narrated by Jim in the first-person were infinitely more engaging than Rize's third-person perspective chapters. The best parts of this book were learning about Jim growing up on a farm and her anguished love for her twin brother. It also doesn't help that Rize is instantaneously, as in from the second page of his first chapter, in this bizarre love affair with Kit, giving us no time as readers to get to know him or catch our breath. Even with these complaints, I do think Ibi Kaslik is a very talented writer.

[VWrulesChick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the way the author put together Jim's story of self-discovery (and innocence) and Rize's train crash of a life as they become members of the The Angel Riots. Their difference experiences from earlier on, as well as, the group grows in popularity and fame. What chaos ensues them and how they deal with it, to know that life goes on.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good, especially if you are a follower of the indie music scene.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was supposedly based on stories about the band Broken Social scene. I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. I was impressed with the beginning, but it fell flat.

[Adina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally started reading this and loving it. I was afraid of the dense prose at first, but it flows like a good rock riff.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the best books written in the 21st century, Ibi Kaslik is one of the most astounding novelists of the 21st century. You're a lunatic if you don't realize this as soon as possible.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could re-read this a thousand times. Based on the real life story of BSS and Stars hitting the road for the first time.