Temping

by Kirby Olson

Book Overview

Temping is about a no-longer-so-young man who is a temporary secretary, then returns to graduate school, and gets a job teaching the theory of humor--in Finland, where he also manages a circus. The... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0930773764
• ISBN13: 9780930773762
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Black Heron Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A pleasant dish of quirky

had a hard time getting into Temping. The initial chapters seemed kind of vague and distant, but I kept reading and was rewarded for my perseverence. This is a darkly humorous tale about a long-time temp who on the advice of a psychiatrist seeks to establish a less transient life. Through a series of events he ends up getting married, moving to Finland and teaching comedy with a demented midget clown for a boss. Naturally, he ends up playing a high stakes game of badminton against the midget clown. This is a quirky book that reads quickly once one gets into it. It's realistic fiction with a touch of the bizarre, that's worth checking out if you are looking for something a little different.

Kirby Olson's Temping

Somehow I stumbled upon this novel. It is an entertaining read, so absurdly hilarious at times that I had tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard. There is also quite a bit of philosophical thought in this book which together with the humor is a fresh combination. The main character is an anxious loner plagued with nervousness and strange theories of life and beauty that he has developed in his solitude (seemingly as a defense mechanism), but he is also endearingly naive. Sometimes you want to shake him, other times hold him and let him cry on your shoulder. It's a relief that he finds some normalcy in the end with the family he somehow winds up being a part of. This book has some uneven and frustrating parts, not a 'masterpiece' in the traditional literary sense of the heavy, canonical novel that takes itself seriously. It's a different genre altogether, belonging in some strange underground category. If you are a fan of absurd humor and enjoy your intellect being tickled, this book will make you laugh and perhaps even your head will spin. It is straightforward and doesn't play tricks on the reader, which I so appreciate.

Kirby Olson is a Find

I had read some of Olson's other works: poetry and his book on humor. This one is unique. It takes you to another world - the inner and outer world of an interesting writer to be sure. You couldn't imagine such a life no matter how hard you tried. It's funny, philosophical, and well-written. I recommend it if you're looking for something really different. - Elizabeth Wagele