Customer Reviews

Corrections to My Memoirs: Collected Stories

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Have you ever had the pleasure of stumbling upon a great movie or book or album and then had the pleasure of discovering that the creator of such a work has other offerings available to the public? Sort of like randomly catching a David Sedaris short story in a magazine for the first time and then discovering he has enough books out to keep you laughing for days/weeks/months (depending on how quickly you read). Well, I stumbled across Mr. Kun's work a while back with the Locklear Letters and I was extremely excited to see that he has several books out, each displaying a certain dry wit and playfulness that literally had me laughing out loud while reading. The great thing about stumbling across something you like is that you get to tell other people about it. . . so here I am writing this review.

This particular set of short "writings" -- how do you accurately sum up the various ways through which Mr. Kun puts his wit to task via short stories or letters or memoranda, etc.? -- is wonderfully varied without losing its cohesion or the consistency of the writer's tone. When I finished reading it from cover to cover, I had the distinct feeling that I had just consumed a satisfying dinner consisting of many small dishes like tapas or fine appetizers crafted by a skilled chef gifted with a wide culinary vocabulary. And like any good meal, there are levels of depth to each story -- there is an underlying empathy and understanding of the human condition which comes through Mr. Kun's perception which is undeniable regardless of how hard he makes you laugh. Sometimes it is a situation he draws up for his characters. Sometimes it is a hint of sadness in a self-effacing joke. Sometimes it is a simple turn of phrase that hits upon something that resonates with the reader -- in my case, I have now added "sweater girl" to my vocabulary because it perfectly describes a kind of woman I have been infatuated with for ages. In fact, I married a sweater girl, but I didn't know what she was until I read Mr. Kun's description of a particular kind of woman and the way that she appears to other people.

But all pretense, 5 star rating and analysis aside, if you've paused on this page for longer than 10 seconds, then follow my lead and just buy the book already. Like his other books, "Corrections" is a really fun read and the kind of book you will want to have with you when you are traveling or eating lunch or sitting in traffic. You will ENJOY it -- so ditch the book you left saved in your Amazon.com wishlist for the past month that Oprah is telling you is some sort of life-changing-but-utterly-depressing sob story about how you can overcome anything if you can just quit sucking on a crack pipe. Pick up one of Michael Kun's book instead. It'll put a smile on your face.

John Barth makes a sly cameo in this wondrous potpourri from Michael Kun, as an erstwhile writing teacher of the author. I might otherwise not have noticed how much Corrections resembles the playful self-referential fiction of Barth; most notably the intermittent notes from the publisher that recall Giles Goat-Boy. The publisher's notes offer an ongoing commentary on the works included, like a stoned Greek chorus, and they provide added comic momentum to a collection that never quits being funny. Kun also shows a gift for satire this time around with everything from office memos to a lawyer's brief to advice on how to be a lawyer and writer at the same time (an ongoing joke). My real faves are the longer pieces, where Kun has room to display his gift for sharp characterization, dialog with perfect comic timing and, inevitably, the tinge of sadness. You can't beat "One Last Story About Girls and Chocolate," a dinner party from hell and in hell. "A Place Like Here, Only Different," features one of Kun's classic lonelyhearts, as does the superlative "Did She Jump or Was She Pushed." Kun pokes fun at the sales performance of his novels, but maybe this one will end what he considers his losing streak. Unless Kun publishes another book this year, Corrections has to go down as the funniest book of 2007.

This book alternates between plain hilarity and the kind of subtle humor that requires reading two or three times before you really get it. The book isn't just funny though. It's full of observations about aspects of life or other people's quirks that are reminscent of the old Seinfeld show and make it clear that Mike Kun is paying attention to what's going on around during his boring lawyerly workaday duties. As a lawyer myself, I can quote Roberta Flack and say that at times, the author was "killing me softly with his song." Nonetheless, I really liked it.

I was lucky enough to receive this in advance of its release date, and I read it the same night it came in the mail. Kun is absolutely the best at balancing funny and sad, pithy and poignant. Here he does just that with his collection of short stories. The obvious thread running throughout the book is the send-up of James Frey and the "poetic license" that people take with the memoir genre these days. However, there is so much more to these stories than parody. There are commentaries on the workplace that would make die hard fans of "The Office" proud, delicate and sophisticated relationships, and truly memorable characters at every turn.

I've long insisted that Kun is at the very least the American answer to Nick Hornby and this effort only advances that claim. His ability to reinvent the format of storytelling is once again on display, as is his writing skill and understanding of our culture. I loved this book and already can't wait for the next one.

Good grief, is Michael Kun funny or what? This has a little bit of everything in it - from the overbearingly pandering to the divinely subtle. Kun is at his best with his actual short fiction. He seems to shed his LOOK-AT-HOW-FUNNY-I-AM schtick and actually do what he does best.

The story "Her Night Classes" is a touching look at a distant couple after a miscarried pregnancy. "Fresh Fruit" is a hysterical commentary of a less-than-ideal seminar. "Cigar Box" is a pleasant read, with a forehead-slapping "Eureka" of an ending. "Weight And Fortune" has a great sci-fi feel to it. The eponymous story, "Correction To My Memoirs" offers a hilarious itemized list of corrections the reader must apply to the nonexistent "memoirs" mentioned. James Frey - eat your heart out!

Some of the other works are a little more cutesy, and feel almost contrived in their humor. It is for that reason I'm giving this a 4 instead of a 5, but let me tell you, that decision did not come easily. I really wanted to give it a 5 anyway. I only didn't because I felt it would contradict my review.

Looking forward to more from Kun, as always.

Admittedly, I have not yet read this book. (I just got the email from Amazaon that this book is now even available for god's sake. Give me some time to buy it. Geez.) However, I'm going to bet it's rip-roaring (hey, Mike, how do you like that adjective?) funny. I used to work at the same firm as Mike and he regularly had me in stitches but AT NO TIME did I laugh harder than the time he sent a letter to a female associate in the firm purporting to be from a company she regularly ordered shoes from. The letter was supposed to be serious but was so funny without giving it away that it was a joke. The poor girl had no idea - she (a fashion queen) was appalled by the contents of the letter. Meanwhile, those of us who knew what was going on, were wetting our pants. Anyway, I'm imaging that this book is full of that kind of hilarious nonsense. I know of no one who can pull such comedy off better than Mike! I've found his other books to be laugh-out-loud funny too. (P.S. So I assume Mike's still alive then??? Ah, never mind - it's just that rumors are circulating...)

This is a book that could only be written in America at our present state of mind. While the premise of the book is good and some of the stories funny, on the whole it is not nearly as funny as it should be. For instance, to make fun of the excessive use of footnotes as a form of humor in modern fiction, he writes a story about paper shredders in the form of a PR Announcement which is over half footnotes. Clever in form, but after so many pages it looses its bite, and ceases to be funny. Much like the film "Borat", the idea is good, but the humor is continually sabotaged by the author taking each joke one or two steps too far.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book is the self - deprecating "Publisher's Notes" between each story. These demonstrate the power of brevity and hyper self -consciousness as humor in modern fiction. Concentration by Mr. Kun paired with an editor's red pencil could have brought these two traits to the book as a whole; but, alas they did not, and what you are left with is half witted humor swirling down the drain in its own mediocrity while bragging about its fully witted self.