On 15 March 1977, with his wife's consent, celebrated writer and former terrorist Hubert Aquin blew his brains out on the grounds of a Montreal convent school. Shocked by this self-murder, a filmmaker friend feels compelled to understand why Aquin killed himself - and discovers, at the heart of the tragedy, an unforgettable love story. A "documentary fiction" - a category which includes In Cold Blood and The Executioner's Song - HA! is a seminal work that reinvents the audio-visual revolution of the last century. Interweaving photographs, documents, and images with testimony from Aquin's friends and contemporaries, Aquin himself, and the writers and artists who influenced him, this intriguing novel takes the reader on a Joycean tour of a metropolis in the midst of political and cultural turmoil.

Gordon Sheppard is a Montreal writer, photographer, and award-winning filmmaker who wrote and directed The Most, a documentary about Playboy's Hugh Hefner, and Eliza's Horoscope, a feature film starring Tommy Lee Jones.

Gordon Sheppard's profile page

"HA! is a harrowing investigation of some of the most profound and troubling aspects of the human condition... a brave and important work that richly deserves our attention and discussion." Quill and Quire

"HA! is a truly incredible book. You are unlikely to find many that will even come close to it." Geeta Nadkarmi, Between the Pages

"HA! is a harrowing investigation of some of the most profound and troubling aspects of the human condition... a brave and important work that richly deserves our attention and discussion." Quill and Quire