Postcards from a Dead Girl

by Kirk Farber

Book Overview

"Kirk Farber has a style very similar to Chuck Palahniuk, with offbeat observations, a view of our world through a slightly distorted lens, and a tone that's ... hilarious and tragic at the same time." -- Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

A touching, almost cinematic, debut novel featuring the eccentric, slightly disturbed, and unique character Sid, who finds himself--among various other darkly comic scenarios--obsessed...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061834475
• ISBN13: 9780061834479
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A wickedly funny and original "tragicomedy"

[Note: My review also appears under the Editorial Reviews] This quirky, potentially surreal, "tragicomic" story seems to be a real winner. I love what I've read so far - and to know just how impressive a statement I just made, you need to know that the main character is a telemarketer (not exactly my favorite kind of person). Poor Sid Higgins is almost as screwed up as I am. The postcard thing is really starting to freak him out. While he can appreciate the "Wish you were here" sentiment each card expresses, he doesn't understand why they keep coming, especially since he's pretty sure the sender is dead. Every day he gets another postcard from a different part of the world, always signed by his girlfriend Zoe, and always postmarked a year ago. The guy down at the local post office can't really explain it, either. The daily receipt of postcards from a dead girl isn't Sid's only problem, though. His boss is driving him crazy with false promises and excessively enthusiastic words of encouragement even as his job performance continues to slide, and his unusual reaction to each postcard he receives (which usually involves a sense of unreality brought about by a temporarily strong and unexplainable smell of lilac) has him wondering if he might have a brain tumor. Much more worrisome, however, is his increasing tendency to depend on his dog, Zero, to translate other people's words for him. All that translating is starting to get on Zero's nerves, too, just to tell you the truth. There's really only one thing to do, when you come right down to it. Sid has to embark on a great journey of discovery, attempting to trace the origins of all these postcards and hopefully find his way to the mysterious force behind them. I wouldn't dare to even guess at what he will find out, or how this story will play out in the end, but I want to be there to see it happen. From what I've seen so far, Postcards From a Dead Girl is a wickedly funny and original story.

Beautifully written

Kirk Farber's story Postcards from a Dead Girl is beautifully written with quirky humor in a flowing, stream-of-consciousness style. He has done a masterful job of hinting at Sid's emotional upheaval, maybe rooted in Zoe's death, or maybe in something older and deeper. There doesn't seem to be a single misstep in this excerpt; it's a delight to read. I was sorry when it ended. I'll be watching for this on the bookshelf.

Snappy!

This excerpt is snappy, in the best sense of the word. Both the descriptive writing and the dialogue... and, flat out funny. Plus, readable, intriguing, and unique. Somewhat: priceless. For instance: the relationship between Sid and his dog. And Sid and Gerald, the post office guy. And Sid and the neighbor woman attached to the mailbox. And Sid's attempts to describe his love for Zoe. It's all good. It's all really good. I wish I wrote it. And I could find a sixth star! edit added after initial review: just noticed another reviewer used the word snappy! See what I'm saying here...

I want more!

In Kirk Farber's Postcards From A Dead Girl, we are introduced to hypochondriac Sid Higgins who is compelled to track down the origins of postcards sent from his dead(?) girlfriend Zoe. In the few pages posted here, Farber proves himself to be a deft stylist with a knack for hooking readers. Is Sid really sick or is all the death around him (his parents, possibly Zoe) forcing him to acknowledge his own mortality. Sid's dreary job is selling vacation packages over the phone, while Zoe's postcards come from similarly exotic locales. Farber reveals a character isolated from the world's beauty and warmth, yet still teased and tempted by it. Will his quest to find the origin of the postcards reunite him with his lost love? I hope we get the chance to find out. Highly recommended.

Snappy and sharp

Sid is falling to pieces, trapped in a job that patently fails to fulfil him, relying on his dog Zero to translate the world for him, and haunted by Zoe, a dead girlfriend who won't stop sending him postcards. This excerpt zips along, fast-paced and appealing. We're on Sid's side as he worries about his health, seeks reassurance from Gerald the Post Office guy, loses himself in memories of elaborate protestations of love for Zoe. Kirk Farber's writing is assured and zingy, and left me wanting more.