The Story
"A plainspoken, punk-rock hymn ... This is a book that will pick you up off the floor of a mosh pit and wrap you in its arms." --Sean Michaels
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 blazing debut that captures a generation caught between idealism and survival, art and activism, the dreams that define us and the compromises that save us.
Author: Jeff Miller
Publisher: House of Anansi Press
Published: 04/21/2026
Pages: 328
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.79lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781487013004
Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/09/2026
About the Author
Miller, Jeff: -
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.
Description
"A plainspoken, punk-rock hymn ... This is a book that will pick you up off the floor of a mosh pit and wrap you in its arms." --Sean Michaels
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 blazing debut that captures a generation caught between idealism and survival, art and activism, the dreams that define us and the compromises that save us.
Author: Jeff Miller
Publisher: House of Anansi Press
Published: 04/21/2026
Pages: 328
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.79lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781487013004
Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/09/2026
About the Author
Miller, Jeff: -
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.
