Chicken House Press Signs Parliamentary Politics Expert for 2025 Satirical Debut
Jack Stilborn
Chicken House Press has secured Jack Stilborn, from Ottawa, ON. for his debut novel, The Tyranny of Good Intentions, a humorous commentary on the challenges of politics in community.
Entering the world of fiction after twenty-five years of working with parliamentarians and government officials as a research analyst for Canada’s Parliament, Stilborn carried away a goldmine of inspiration. More recently, his experience serving as a volunteer director on several boards, led to the creation of the fictional Britannia Condominium and its troubled leadership, which readers will have the great joy and frustration of navigating in The Tyranny of Good Intentions.
With an extensive non-fiction publishing record relating to parliamentary institutions and governance, Stilborn returned to fiction with a short story that received Honorable Mention in the 2024 Alice Munro Short Story Contest and, with the encouragement of a writers’ group established by the Ottawa Branch of the Canadian Authors Association, he began submitting his longer fiction for publication.
“I read widely and enjoy many authors,” Stilborn explains. “Authors as diverse as Tom Rachman, David Foster Wallace, and Annie Ernaux inspire me with their courage to write with complete authenticity.” And it was with authenticity and experiential authority that Stilborn approached the composition of his novel.
Volunteering for the greater good always comes with its own set of challenges. But for Andrew Walmer, the protagonist of The Tyranny of Good Intentions, those challenges may prove to be more than he bargained for. In this satirical novel, Andrew struggles to navigate love, death, and the cutthroat world of condominium politics. But Andrew's struggles don't stop there. He's contending with major life challenges — from a strained marriage to a potentially career-ending mistake. As he desperately tries to make his condo board effective enough to escape, he's constantly thwarted. And just when things seem to be looking up, a cascade of resignations and an untimely death keep him stuck in a position he never wanted — president of the board.
As he tries to rebuild his personal life and save his career while also protecting his neighbours and his investment, he is haunted by a troubling question: if we can’t make small organizations work properly, what hope is there for bigger ones?
Can Andrew unleash the courage to overcome these obstacles and finally find the peace and happiness he so desperately desires? With similarities in theme and tone to the Angus McLintock series by Terry Fallis and The Imposters by Tom Rachman, Stilborn treats serious issues with a leavening of delightful humour readers are sure to appreciate.
The Tyranny of Good Intentions is a compelling and relatable contemporary debut that will keep readers highly entertained and asking for more. You won’t want to miss this witty and thought-provoking novel.
Watch for it in 2025.
Do you want to be part of the release team? CHP needs early reviewers to help create a stir and to give us marketable blurbs we can use in promotion. Sign up to be part of the review team today and you will be notified when we’re ready to start generating buzz for this incredible book. Reviewers for this particular title should be prepared to read in the winter of 2024.
