As we inch towards the right thing for us, the temptation to flee from it grows ever stronger. "Everybody Says Hello" is a novel from Michael Kun, who writes of Sid Straw, a man who has made many mistakes and will make many more. The story is told by correspondence between Straw and the others in the world around him and makes "Everybody Says Hello" a unique and fascinating down to earth read.
Midwest Book Review - Ju1y, 2012
Dear Reader,
Sid Straw, barely recovered after a break-up, moves from Baltimore to Southern California to take a mid-level computer sales job from which he is promptly fired. Along the way he is publicly defamed, defrauded, embarrassed, nearly arrested, and may or may not have moved out of the seedy motel where he poisoned a cat and into the guesthouse of the actress Heather Locklear. How does Kun make the journey fun?
Easy. Sid writes letters. To everyone, about everything. Letters and letters and letters, page after page of letters, only letters, and if anyone answers those letters the reader will have to sort out for himself from the occasional cryptic clues and outrageous retorts...
Read the complete review at Foreword Reviews.
Foreword Reviews - May 31, 2012
A welcome follow up to Kun's witty 2003 book, "The Locklear Letters," this lively epistolary novel follows protagonist Sid Straw from Baltimore to California, where he's starting a new job (with a computer company) and a new life (after breaking up with his girlfriend). Kun, a Hopkins grad, crafts Straw as a maddening but ultimately loveable character, the sort of guy who could be played by Steve Carrell in a film version of the book. But Straw's office days are numbered, and, without a job, his life quickly spirals out of control -- thanks, in large part to his cringe-inducing audacity, and knack for putting his foot in his mouth. In short order, he finds himself holed up in Heather Locklear's guesthouse, maligned by "The Los Angeles Times," befriended by a transvestite, and hated by actress Denise Richards and the guitarist for Bon Jovi. Kun exhibits exquisite timing and touch, and, despite rushing toward a happy ending, he delivers another gem. It might be odd that Straw, a supposed computer whiz, communicates via snail mail, but that's quibbling. Let's hope this isn't the last we read of Straw's exploits.
Baltimore Magazine - May, 2012
Sid Straw, the celebrity-obsessed star of Michael Kun's 2003 novel "The Locklear Letters," may be the most memorable of the lovable losers the author specializes in, not because Straw is so interesting but because he's so hilariously unexceptional.
The only thing fascinating about Straw, a poor schlub who works as a tech salesman, is his undying affection for an old college friend, sexy TV star Heather Locklear.
Now Straw is back in "Everybody Says Hello," Kun's latest farcical exploration of social isolation and pathological friendship.
Like the earlier novel, the new novel is presented almost entirely in the form of letters written by Straw, this time as he settles in Los Angeles to take a job as regional account manager for Velocity Computers.
He's living temporarily at the divey Pirate's Cove Motel in Venice, sending out correspondence to family members, his new employer, the ex-girlfriend he longs for and, of course, his old pal Locklear. He even registers complaints about the motel in letter form.
...Using the epistolary format is a huge risk, but Kun has pulled off the feat of making a structure that can grow tedious feel fresh and light, illuminating his main character's absurd downfall in a way straight storytelling may not.
Read the complete review at The Seattle Times.
The Seattle Times - Apr. 28, 2012
Humor is such a slippery concept. What's funny? And I don't just mean what makes something funny, but what is the definition of funny? Funny is different from humorous, and humor is different from comedy, right? I think? Sometimes I get bogged down in the semantics when someone asks me why I like a book and I say, "because it's funny."
For me, funny means that it makes me laugh out loud. Laughing out loud, alone, while reading, is one of the most pleasurable experiences I know of. And sometimes, I will like a book for no other reason other than that it makes me laugh. Do you have to be smart to be funny? I think so. In writing, at least. So the writers I find funny have that going for them, too, but their ability to make me laugh out loud is what makes me revere them. I think it's very hard to be funny on paper.
I've been thinking about this because I'm reading Everybody Says Hello, Michael Kun's new novel (released Apr.16th). You probably haven't heard of Michael Kun, and that may or may not be because I sometimes think he was put on this earth solely to make me laugh, but I think he's one of the funniest writers in America. "Everybody Says Hello" is a sequel to his novel "The Locklear Letters", a book composed entirely of letters from hapless narrator Sid Straw to Heather Locklear. It's hilarious. I laughed out loud on every single page.
Read the complete review at Book Riot.
Book Riot - Apr. 18, 2012
Occasionally, there are characters in books that I like so much or find so compelling, I wish the author would revisit them. However, even for the authors who created the character from their own minds, hearts and experience, that is often too tall an order, the result unsatisfying or forced. Updike was successful with Rabbit Angstrom as was Roddy Doyle with Paula Spencer. I'm happy to say Michael Kun succeeds in catching us up with Sid Straw in his latest novel, "Everybody Says Hello"...
Read the complete review at Reed's Next New Read.
Reed's Next New Read - Apr. 17, 2012
...Michael Kun's newest book continues in the same fashion that The Locklear Letters was written, a narrative in outgoing letters all penned in the first person point of view. Some might think that the redundancy of such a format could lead to boredom, a revolving drone of monotonous greetings and closings. However, the author has once again crafted the letters so that the repetition builds on the tension, helping to carry the comedic weight of the book. And there is humor, much like most of Kun's writing, there is a lot of comedy. Also, helping keep things fresh and new, is the constant struggle Straw has obtaining enough stationary, therefore leading to ever-changing letterhead. What matters most is the body of the letters obviously. But this is where Kun shines, creating characters, forming real people out of the plain and simple language of straightforward business letters. That is where the marvelous writing matters, that's the reason you should read everything this author has to offer. As simple and easy as it appears to read and write this book, keep in mind how entertaining it is to read letter after letter, take note how many times you have to stop from laughing. Writing is easy. Writing well is masterful art. Changing the game ever-so-slightly is lightning Kun's caught in a bottle once again.
ManArchy Magazine - Mar. 8, 2012
When someone I know asks me for a book recommendation, I usually throw out The Locklear Letters, by Michael Kun. It's one of the funniest books I've ever read and if the person asking me isn't a big reader, it's an easy novel to get through. That being said, I now have two books in the funny area to share with friends. Michael has a follow-up novel that brings Sid Straw back to the page!
Read the complete review at Mourning Goats.
Mourning Goats - Apr. 7, 2012