Postcards from a Dead Girl: A Novel (P.S.) [Paperback]

Kirk Farber (Author)

Book Description

Series: P.S. | Publication Date: February 16, 2010

Sid is going crazy . . .

A telemarketer at a travel agency, Sid is becoming unhinged and superneurotic. Lately he's been obsessed with car washes and mud baths. His hypochondria is driving his doctor sister mad. And it's all because of his ex-girlfriend, Zoe, who's sending him postcards from her European adventure, one that they were supposed to take together. It's all quite upsetting.

A fact-finding tour of local post offices—and a new friendship with postman Gerald—followed by a solo European jaunt will do little to ease his anxiety. A long talk with his mother's spirit in a wine bottle doesn't help either. But what he really needs are a few more tentative dates with the chatty Candyce. Sid needs to get over Zoe and find love again—even though Zoe, apparently, has no inclination to be gotten over.

Wonderfully poignant, funny, odd, and more than a bit macabre, Postcards from a Dead Girl marks the emergence of a truly gifted and original literary voice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sid Higgins, the appealing, self-deprecating narrator of Farber's poignant, funny debut, has been receiving postcards from his old girlfriend Zoe. Unfortunately, the whimsical Zoe has disappeared, and the postmarks on the cards are more than a year old. Though he doesn't really expect to find her, Sid travels to Europe in search of Zoe. Since Sid works for a travel agency, a slick telephone operation that uses the amusingly named Randomizer to dial potential clients, the trip is easy to arrange. Sid plaintively and self-mockingly relates his interactions with his boss, Steve; his neighbor, Gerald the Post Office Guy; and, most of all, his dog, Zero, whose deftly described postures convey so much, though perhaps not quite as much as Sid reads into them. Sid's older sister, Natalie, a doctor who provides welcome perspective on Sid, is by turns affectionate, irritated, supportive, and occasionally fed up. The reader is likely to feel the same. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Farber’s debut revolves around a hapless lad named Sid, whose sorry love life and stressful job as a travel telemarketer cause him no shortage of angst. Sid’s one-time girlfriend, Zoe, disappeared about a year ago; now he’s receiving postcards she’s sent from around the world, each dated around the time she left. (What postal anomaly could cause such a seemingly inexplicable delay?) Sid wanders the globe in search of Zoe, all the while awaiting the CAT scan results that he’s sure will reveal that he has a tumor. His travels prove a dead end. To make matters worse, he’s haunted by the ghost of his late mother. Sid distracts himself by digging a “mud spa” in his backyard and deliberating over whether to ask out the plain Jane he saw in yoga class. He also discovers a kindred spirit in his mild-mannered mailman, who sympathizes with his plight. Readers may have a hard time mustering much feeling for Sid, who’s less quirky than weird and whose life “adventures” are fairly mundane. Still, as a coming-of-age tale, this shows some promise. --Allison Block

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (February 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061834475
• ISBN-13: 978-0061834479
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,336,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kirk Farber's debut novel, POSTCARDS FROM A DEAD GIRL, was an Indie Next selection and a Colorado Book Award Winner for literary fiction, as well as being a semi-finalist in the first Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. It was published in paperback by Harper Perennial.


His short stories have been published in several literary journals, and his story "Salting the Walks" was a finalist in a state-wide fiction contest held in his home state of Wisconsin. His essay about life in Wisconsin is part of The Great Lakes Reader published by Delphinium Books.


Kirk currently writes and works in Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Kelly.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snappy!, January 19, 2008

By 

Gae Polisner "The Pull of Gravity, fsg." (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

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...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snappy and sharp, January 15, 2008

By 

Felicity (Midwest) - See all my reviews

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where in the world is my ex-girlfriend Zoe?, January 24, 2008

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

"This is Sid from Wanderlust, calling you with another exciting offer." When most of us hear these words through our telephone handsets, we're considering the most expeditious way of extricating ourselves--or cursing ourselves for not reading Caller ID before we picked up. Definitely an antihero setup.

Bonding with Sid is somewhat rough. Having him legitimately receive postcards from a deceased ex-girlfriend is pretty unsettling and is definitely an aspect that arouses reader compassion and curiosity. However, the traditional method of reading inside the point of view character's 'headspace' can result in dizziness and disorientation. Yes--the sensory detail is that good.

"Postcards" comes packed in nine short chapters, which seem more like cameos than scenes. Writing 'hooks' at the end of the chapters could keep us a bit more on the edge. This is standard mystery genre practice and could be easily done.

Sensory information is good in a lot of this excerpt. There may be too much during some of Sid's episodes--and this is one rare instance where the balance of showing versus telling might help the reader stay better focused instead of drifting off with Sid.

Is Sid mentally ill, does he have an actual illness, or is he a hypochondriac? Trust a person with potential hypochondriasis to 'want a new drug' in his lover, e.g. if Sid owned a pharmaceutical company, he'd bottle his feelings for Zoe in a turquoise pill and call it "Blue Zoe Bliss." Other symptoms point to mental illness-or as Sid's physician sister points out, brain problems.

"Postcards" is a very interesting premise and a well-done venture into comic surreality. Good luck to Kirk Farber!