Chapters

by Tim Key

Tim Key got ants in his pants and has written an anthology of poetry. It is his least ambitious project to date. A slim book of the crap he’s been churning out over the past eighteen months. Poems about men getting stuck in webs, poems about the ancient city of Canterbury, poems about canoodling with a rose. A prolific sod, he’s selected ninety of his trademark vignettes and packed them off to Emily Juniper for her to fling onto pages and shape into a book. Discussions ensued about what, if anything, the point of it all was, and a healthy debate as to whether it should be broken up into chapters and, if so, why. All of these discussions are documented in the leftover space around the poems. The result is a splurge of words which very occasionally shine a light on modern times. It is the third book Tim and Emily have generated together.

Genres: Poetry, Audiobook, Humor, Nonfiction, Comedy

160 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2023

About the author

Key has written four books. His most recent focuses on the lockdown of 2020. His others are collections of poems and other bits and bobs. He also does other things: stand-up comedy, acting, Alan Partridge's sidekick.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Key

Reviews

[Clementine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of cackling in public places reading these. also I read the bit about people potentially reading the poems on a plane while I was on a flight to Michigan, very exciting stuff for me

[S V B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yup, loved it, knew I would, and I did.

Especially enjoyed the ones about 'shall I be mother'-ing a stack of poppadoms and the one about the waterwheel. Also has the best index of any book ever.

[Max Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

i've heard what he's had to say and i enjoyed it no end

[Tom Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

As absurd, niche, and in-jokey as ever. Loved it.

[Matt Tennent · Rating 4 out of 5]

audiobook. silly. I liked it

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me question my definition of poetry and stifle laughter on a late night flight. I'm just writing this review so I can think of myself as 'with' Tim Key. I hope he got royalties from FatFace.

[Kas Molenaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Tim Key is absolutely hilarious, and so is this anthology. The poems are still as absurd as in Key's last two books (He Used Thought as a Wife and Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush), but the totality has quite a different tone. This time, there's no pandemic and no lockdown. One dimension of the strength of the previous books was in the way it portrayed the experience of everyday life in an estranging global situation, and with that not being the case in this book, one might think something could be 'missing'. A few pages in, it becomes clear that this isn't the case. Key is just very funny and still has something to say.

Just as in Key's previous two books, Emily Juniper's design and accompanying dialogues between Key and Juniper add both funny and interesting layers, without ever having to rely those elements to be funny as a book in itself.

To give a few (vague) examples of the interaction between poems, dialogue and design: a dialogue complaining about the possible lack of historical context for future readers, hence giving context for the poem; a dialogue explaining a previously unclear design choice for specific poems; dialogues explaining why the book's called Chapters; and a poem that makes more sense having read a previous dialogue. The collaboration between Key and Juniper shows the possibilities of the book and the page as a medium, without ever feeling like it's trying to do so.

It's an impressive feat to write a book that fits in your pocket and can be 'just' truly funny whilst reading a few poems on a tram, as well as creating a book that could be a case study for students in design, philosophy or media studies who have to write essays on things like intertextuality, deconstruction or semiology.

I will be waiting patiently for a fourth book, and hope Key and Juniper will continue to work together for a long time.

[Ciara Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soooo silly

[Michael Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny.

Favourite poem: Nuisance, p51

I found the idea of Tim Key being horrible to this couple hilarious. All they could do to counteract him was move…and then he followed them. They were powerless in the face of such brazen annoyance.

Second favourite: Piggie, p24 & p130

He was impressed by the pig and wanted to be seen with it.

I also think Tim Key likes the idea of Piggie as he gives himself this nickname in his radio show during the ‘Bunny’ episode. Piggie Downs.

-

I liked the format with the conversations in between. It was a good way of adding a break between poems and letting some of it sink in.

Overall a nice book of poems with a few really funny ones to make me laugh.

[Samborne Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Someone had brought a pig to the pub.
"Here piggie, piggie!"
I was lashed, I wanted him near me.
I wanted to wrap my scarf around his thick neck.
What I wanted more than anything else was to create the impression I was with the pig.

[Matt Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

super funny, I live for TK and house of games references

[Oliver Wadey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent poetry with an albeit flimsy premise (not that that matters)

[George Russell-Stracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Fat Face, you’ll love this bizarre anthology of ramblings, surrealism and charm.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant little collection of funny poems, ranging from the everyday, to the outlandish (e.g. one where someone just becomes a dolphin). I preferred the ones a little more grounded in reality. Full of recurring themes and locations such as Canterbury, Fatface, getting lashed. And interspersed with funny conversations between Key and Emily Juniper, who provided the design for the book.

[Rosie Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook is a must. Tim Key never misses

[Emory · Rating 4 out of 5]

get the audiobook - it's very fun. I always enjoy Tim Key's poetry and this was just fun and silly but in a good way

[Ste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much classic Key - little absurdist scenes, many set in the pub (in fact, designer Emily Juniper adds a little icon to mark the pub-set poems). A lot of good poems - I particularly enjoyed Sausages, The Happy Couple, Flipper, Specialist, The Dark Web, Crossover, Haunted, Snowy, Plague. The collection does feel a bit light compared to Key's other recent books (150-ish pages, where his last two were 300), and it's a shame most of the conversations with Juniper (the highlight of his "Utter" & Press books) just concern the chaptering of the book. It's a flimsy gimmick to hang an anthology off, and I wonder if Key's writing is better when there's a bit more dialogue/prose to counterbalance the poetry and leaven the collection.

[Sean Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don’t know or enjoy Key’s voice, his literal voice as this book and most of his poems are written in such a voice, then you’re likely not to enjoy this book.

As a fan of his, his stand-up, his two lockdown books and his TV work, I needed another dose of Key in jacket-pocket bus-reading size and length.

His modern poetry with use of brand names, fruity language and naturalistic speech twinned with a chortling fourth-wall annihilation of form and structure and the promise of a book of poetry make for a love-it-or-hate-it combo that I ate up. Nom nom nom. More please.

[Elsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in two days, god I love these little books so much, they're kind of my favourite things ever... I love the conversations, they add so much to the poems! although I did miss the other characters from the other two books but I guess that wasn't the vibe for this one. anyway live laugh love Tim Key, he makes me romanticise pret more than I could ever dream of. and I LOVE Emily Juniper

[Bolti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like all the poems and I liked the pub symbol. I found most of the footnotes weren't that interesting

[Gina de Lancey · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny and I have no idea why. He says the most random things and it somehow works.

[Stephen Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Key has done it again, a phenomenal collection of his unique and very ‘Tim’ poems… that combination of witty observations and skits that perfectly reflect English customs and social awkwardness. The combination of tenderness and arrogance that is the character of Tim Key. Whether he’s ‘shall I be mothering’ as he karate chops poppadoms, tries to charm over a waitress as he expands upon his mysterious gentleman penning verse in a cafe or questions God about why the hell he’s made it rain icing sugar.

The presentation style is slightly different to normal and I would say this is the highest quality yet. The previous format tended to be Tim in the recording room accompanied by Tom Basden providing musical accompaniment as Tim mocks, insults, praises or requests new genres. THIS book however had a very funny ongoing narrative of Tim and his book designer, sat in a cafe as Tim goes through the works and the ordering. As the title suggests, ‘Chapters’ forms the basis of most of their jokes and a lack of consistency in chapter themes throughout result in frustration and many arguments between the too as it shifts from groupings such as Chapters 4-7, September (featuring a poem about Halloween). This interaction allows a voice to poke fun on the Tim Key character and expand on it in a way that I haven’t seen before. The production value of this is higher than ever, with immersive sounds (cafe, interactions with others) and along with the occasional musical accompaniment the poems themselves resemble radio sketches as appropriate and atmospheric sound effects have been added which result in this being one of his best adaptations for audio he’s done yet. The variety means this will will be an excellent entry point for new listeners (who might lack the concentration to just have a jazz accompaniment for a few hours) as this provides variety and keeps your attention. Even the index is hilarious!

Tim Key continues to amaze and I can’t wait for his next collection of poems. Tim Key is a national treasure.

[Sara Chong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other than being another brilliant bit of work by Tim Key I thank Emily Juniper and the distinctive yellow cover in helping me get Tim to autograph this book when words failed me (as it did the 2 other times I saw him with one of the times where I shoved a crocheted sparkly snail into his hands which I intended to use in exchange for a photo but got too stressed because it shocked me that Tim was a real person and not a 10cm man who existed in my phone and on page and then ran off to France out of sheer embarrassment of my inability to function and for interrupting his convo). I got a lovely message telling him I was from Singapore, then having him compliment my pen and me tell him it was from there and that may be the peak of my life. I also did tell him I hyperventilated trying to get the nerve to go up to him. The yellow book did most of my talking so thank you

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of (loosely categorised) poems from a clever and funny comedian, but I don’t think I really got it. Some of the quirkiness made me smile and I liked the footnotes- a record of the relationship and creative choices between Key and his editor. A spotlight shone into the foibles, rabbit holes and tendencies of one man’s brain, for sure, but unfortunately the words on the page did not really resonate with me. It became a bit samey and predictable- which I think is what it was trying very hard not to be.

[Phil Roughsedge · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite of Key's anthologies to date. A lovely balance of laugh out loud poems and candid conversations.

Ideal for fans of Eddie Howe, Pret A Manger or Canterbury Fat Face.

I rattled through the book pretty quickly as each poem teases you into reading another.

Chapters is just as well suited to anyone low on time. In two minutes you can switch off, enter the unique world of Tim Key and then return with a smile.

[Oscar Dent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully designed and written as ever. The poems and conversations never failed to make me laugh. In a way this felt more personal than previous as the chats were only between chubby poet and his designer (opposed to the lockdown books where it was a free-for-all). Also given that the chats were almost all contained within a single pub sesh gave them some momentum.

Loved the pig one.

[Viviane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engraçado como sempre, uma pena não ser um livro maior. Fiquei feliz que ainda temos os diálogos que são minhas partes favoritas.

Esteticamente o livro é belíssimo, fantástico trabalho de Emily Juniper como sempre.

[Jim Weems · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb set of short poems.
As usual, Key’s dry wit and keen eye for detail shine through.
You’ll find yourself bursting out laughing when you least expect it!
Fave for me, the best man joke.
Genius.

[Ben Cotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute riot, as ever.

[Joseph Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keys finest.