An elephant trainer in Italy, a writer-in-residence for an archaeological dig in Belize, and a commentator on Mennonites from afar, Byron Rempel gets around. In Truth is Naked, All Others Pay Cash, he reaches beyond established literary genres into somewhat uncharted territory. Whereas many novels are thinly disguised autobiography, Rempel believes it is much more interesting when we imagine our own lives, and call it a memoir.

Whether searching for the origins of pacifist Mennonites among murderers and polygamists, shovelling elephant droppings, or confronted with the slow deterioration of his father's brain, Rempel addresses the questions that haunt all of us: Where are we going, why, and what will it cost us, not including airport tax? The result is a collection of memories that are quite hilarious, often poignant and occasionally believable.

Byron Rempel's profile page

Byron Rempel is a novelist, editor, and journalist. Formerly a Manitoban and now an avid Quebecois, he supports Les Habs and lives with a woman who's favourite phrase is “I Remember'.

"Moving, emotionally complex, and maybe even beautiful. . . Like Dave Barry on a good day. . . [Truth is Naked] resembles the New Yorker pieces by the early, funny Woody Allen. The feckless Byron Rempel character turns out to be a literary creation who grabs the reader's heart." -Winnipeg Free Press

"Funny, entertaining, slightly offensive, and best of all, a little weird. With side-splitting humour, Rempel pokes potholes into the Mennonites' holy ribs. Whoever thought that being raised in a religion that forbids drinking and dancing would be such a gas?" - Montreal Review of Books

"Rempel delivers (one hopes) an accurate, detailed, altogether delicious account of (his forefather's) origins and rather bizarre evolution." - The Globe and Mail

"More elegantly written than the infamous Frey tome. . . quite brilliant. While the work is based on real characters and events from his life, it is also rife with distortions, untruths and glaring omissions. In light of the sordid James Frey affair, it makes him seem prescient, if not somewhat genius. And honest, despite his best efforts." - The National Post