Fiction

Philip Skyler learned early in his life that his face would get him into trouble and there was nothing he could do about it. Born with an extreme facial deformity, he became the object of attention. Though medical scientists named his condition Van der Woude syndrome, his classmates, especially the bullies, just called him “Monkeyface”. Monkeyface Chronicles is his sweet story of revenge.

Philip’s aphorism-toting grandfather used to say, “Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect,” and Philip Skyler is about to embark on a life journey of payback that has everything to do with cause and effect. Philip’s journey ultimately takes him through the most unusual family circumstances, where no one was really who they seemed to be, whether it was his reclusive scientist father, or his Citizen Kane-like grandfather.

While riding his father’s motorcycle to Toronto to escape the dregs of Faireville, Philip has a life-changing experience that transforms him from the dupe he was as a kid into a conquering hero in his twenties. His unforgettable ride brings him to triumph over adversity and redeems him from the world of losers into which he was cast.

• Winner of the 2011 OLA Forest of Reading White Pine Award