Cockroach

This acclaimed second novel from IMPAC Dublin Award-winning author Rawi Hage is "further evidence of Hage's large and unsettling talent" (Guardian). In Cockroach, Hage exposes the scars of humanity through the eyes of an immigrant living in Montreal.
Angry over the conditions of his impoverished life, an unnamed man tries to hang himself from a tree in the park. But after failing in this suicide attempt, he is ordered by the court to attend sessions with a therapist. There he deals with his insect hallucinations and sexual fantasies, all while trying to escape his guilt over the death of a family member.
As evidenced in his debut novel De Niro's game Hage's unyielding vision is vividly evoked through his staggering prose. Here the dark conscience of Hage's protagonist is brilliantly portrayed by narrator Piter Marek.