All My Friends Are Superheroes (Paperback)

by Andrew Kaufman (Author)
Key Phrases: anxiety monster, Sleazy Jim, David Duncan, Blue Outcast (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'This book triggers complicated chuckles that can morph unexpectedly into the prick of tears.' -- The Globe and Mail

Product Description
All Tom’s friends really are superheroes. There’s the Ear, the Spooner, the Impossible Man. Tom even married a superhero, the Perfectionist. But at their wedding, the Perfectionist was hypnotized to believe that Tom is invisible. Nothing he does can make her see him. Six months later, she’s sure that Tom has abandoned her. So she’s moving to Vancouver. She’ll use her superpower to make Vancouver perfect and leave all the heartbreak in Toronto. With no idea Tom’s beside her, she boards an airplane. Tom has until the wheels touch the ground in Vancouver to convince her he’s there, or he loses her forever.

A funny, sweet story, All My Friends Are Superheroes will remind you the greatest superpower of all is love.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Coach House Press (October 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552451305
• ISBN-13: 978-1552451304
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #490,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply satisfying, July 14, 2004

By	Crazy Kid (Canada) - See all my reviews

All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman is like getting the precise helping of your favourite food the very moment you crave it.

An excellent read that holds up over time. I first read it late last year and recently brought it with me on a road trip. Despite knowing exactly how things turn out I found myself falling for the characters again.

Do yourself a favour and buy two copies. That way you won't have to give yours away.

I'm looking forward to Kaufman's next work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet...but too short? , June 22, 2007

By	mfaromantic (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

I am really torn about my ultimate response to this novella. As many others have already said it is a simple, cleverly-written sweet little story. The crispness and freshness of both the language and the premise make it charming and so very hard to resist. I loved the descriptions of the superheroes and how Mr. Kaufman was able to cast this world of everyday superheroes without making it ridiculous or absurd or weird but completely relatable and engaging.

My one criticism is that I think it lacked a level of depth that would have made this a perfect reading experience for me - particularly in regards to the two main characters and their relationship. I think the novella would have benefitted from a little more development. Similarly, I think the scenes on the plane on the way to Vancouver could have been utilized better to create more tension and anxiety - a greater sense of peril. Tom spends the first few hours of the trip just watching her sleep and thinking back rather than doing more. And while a simple ending generally suits a simple story - I was left a little let down with the end - wishing it had given me more to relish.

That being said, with a simple and clever story like this, the slightest overreach might have thrown it all off and I commend Mr. Kaufman for staying true to the story throughout - even if I might wish for a little more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Cute Little Book, April 8, 2004

By	"the_last_true_believer" (London, Ontario) - See all my reviews

A friend who gave me this book called it "a cute little book," and while he wasn't trying to stop me from reading it, he almost did. And he was right, but in the best way he could be. This is indeed a "cute, little" book, being both short (just over 100 pages) and cute (meaning light-hearted and funny). It's a sweet urban love story that is both surprisingly clever and unexpectedly poignant. More than anything else, though, this is a wildly funny and inventive little book that you'll want to recommend to both your friends and enemies, superheroes or not.