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Αγαπητοί όλοι,
Ένα μυθιστόρημα γραμμένο με τη μορφή επιστολών, σημειώσεων ημερολογίου, εγκυκλοπαιδικών λημμάτων, συνομιλιών με διαφόρους ανθρώπους, σημειωμάτων των δασκάλων προς τους γονείς, άρθρων
από εφημερίδες, ψυχολογικών αξιολογήσεων, δελτίων
καιρού, μιας αφίσας για μια εξαφάνιση, μιας νεκρολογίας, μιας διαθήκης και άλλων αποσπασμάτων, τα οποία αφηγούνται συνολικά την ιστορία της σύντομης ζωής του Τζόναθαν Μπέντερ, μετεωρολόγου.
Ο Τζόναθαν Μπέντερ είχε κάτι να πει στον κόσμο, αλλά ο κόσμος δεν άκουγε. Παρ’ όλα αυτά, άφησε πίσω του γράμματα που δεν έστειλε ποτέ, γράμματα, μεταξύ άλλων, σε συγγενείς, φίλους, δασκάλους, συμμαθητές, καθηγητές, συγκάτοικους, εργοδότες, πρώην φιλενάδες, την τέως σύζυγό του, τη νεράιδα των δοΩντιών, το πασχαλινό λαγουδάκι, τον Άγιο Βασίλη, την Πολιτεία του Μίσιγκαν και έναν μετεωρολογικό δορυφόρο. Αυτά τα γράμματα συνιστούν την αφήγηση μιας ασυνήθιστης και ξεχωριστής ζωής.
από εφημερίδες, ψυχολογικών αξιολογήσεων, δελτίων
καιρού, μιας αφίσας για μια εξαφάνιση, μιας νεκρολογίας, μιας διαθήκης και άλλων αποσπασμάτων, τα οποία αφηγούνται συνολικά την ιστορία της σύντομης ζωής του Τζόναθαν Μπέντερ, μετεωρολόγου.
Ο Τζόναθαν Μπέντερ είχε κάτι να πει στον κόσμο, αλλά ο κόσμος δεν άκουγε. Παρ’ όλα αυτά, άφησε πίσω του γράμματα που δεν έστειλε ποτέ, γράμματα, μεταξύ άλλων, σε συγγενείς, φίλους, δασκάλους, συμμαθητές, καθηγητές, συγκάτοικους, εργοδότες, πρώην φιλενάδες, την τέως σύζυγό του, τη νεράιδα των δοΩντιών, το πασχαλινό λαγουδάκι, τον Άγιο Βασίλη, την Πολιτεία του Μίσιγκαν και έναν μετεωρολογικό δορυφόρο. Αυτά τα γράμματα συνιστούν την αφήγηση μιας ασυνήθιστης και ξεχωριστής ζωής.
253 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
694 people want to read
About the author
Michael Kimball
49 books40 followersMichael Kimball's third novel, DEAR EVERYBODY, will be published in the UK, US, and Canada this year. His first two novels, THE WAY THE FAMILY GOT AWAY (2000) and HOW MUCH OF US THERE WAS (2005), have both been translated into many languages.
He is also responsible for the art project Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story (on a postcard) and the documentary film, I Will Smash You.
He is also responsible for the art project Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story (on a postcard) and the documentary film, I Will Smash You.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
January 5, 2009
hmmm... i didnt like this as much as my pals did. although i like the way the narrative unspools, and the gaps within, the central character never won my sympathies. i have a lot of questions.
December 5, 2008
An almost 300 page suicide note spanned over a collection of letters to the people and things. The sparseness of the book is great, and like in The Last Good Thing Anyone Did it's the way that the author chooses to leave many of the details out of the book and let the reader fill in the spaces that I really liked. This technique of (sorry Karen) gestalt, probably will account for many people feeling a closeness to the main character that might not necessarily be the authors actual intention but for the readers stand point it works great. Recommended for anyone who feels awkward, out of place, filled with self loathing or alienated from themselves. Well adjusted people may enjoy this too, but I don't personally know what well adjusted people like.
October 5, 2010
This is a fantastic book. There isn't much that I can say about this that isn't said better in the book. From what I can see there is a moment in life where you either have to create something or destroy something. This book appears to have come out of one of those moments. It also appears to be about these moments.
***
Periodically I will start to recommend a book that I read a long time ago and then realize there is something a bit wrong with the review I wrote. On madame bovary I realized I had given the book 2 stars in this case, well this review it fucking terrible. I do appreciate that courtney still liked the review. So let's talk about this book and its ultimate awesomeness.
This is a book about suicide. That is not a spoiler because the guy is dead before the beginning of the book. It's about what it means for a person to die in a family that isn't close. It is about trying to understand a person after their life has already ended. This book is introduced by the brother of the character who died. He says that he went through the papers of his brother trying to understand him and well the book is what he found. This book becomes an attempt by the reader to help understand the person who actually died.
Unlike books like thirteen reasons why this book isn't about blaming. The brother does comment on the fact that the world through the dead man's eyes is different than the world through his own eyes, he says that he doesn't recognize his parents in the letters.
The book is beautifully written. and I think it is a great view of suicide that instead of attempting to point fingers or blame simply attempts to understand exactly how a world comes together that ends in death.
Now read this instead of crappy teen books.
***
Periodically I will start to recommend a book that I read a long time ago and then realize there is something a bit wrong with the review I wrote. On madame bovary I realized I had given the book 2 stars in this case, well this review it fucking terrible. I do appreciate that courtney still liked the review. So let's talk about this book and its ultimate awesomeness.
This is a book about suicide. That is not a spoiler because the guy is dead before the beginning of the book. It's about what it means for a person to die in a family that isn't close. It is about trying to understand a person after their life has already ended. This book is introduced by the brother of the character who died. He says that he went through the papers of his brother trying to understand him and well the book is what he found. This book becomes an attempt by the reader to help understand the person who actually died.
Unlike books like thirteen reasons why this book isn't about blaming. The brother does comment on the fact that the world through the dead man's eyes is different than the world through his own eyes, he says that he doesn't recognize his parents in the letters.
The book is beautifully written. and I think it is a great view of suicide that instead of attempting to point fingers or blame simply attempts to understand exactly how a world comes together that ends in death.
Now read this instead of crappy teen books.
August 1, 2016
If you're looking for an uplifting read, this really isn't it! Having said that though, it is a wonderfully written novel about the life of Jonathon Bender (b.1967-d.1999).
Dear Everybody consists of all the letters Jonathon wrote in the lead up to his suicide. He writes to all of his ex-girlfriends, his ex-wife, his parents, brother, neighbours, school teachers, the tooth fairy and Santa Claus to name a few.
Jonathon is a compelling and complex character - through his letters we learn that he is a paranoid/anxious/depressive child who is very sensitive to his environment. He fears bath time because he believes he might be cooked!
It is obvious very early on that Jonathon thinks and perceives differently to those around him, and Kimball has managed to capture a strong narrative voice throughout his letters. The story possesses an intensity to it because of the chosen format.
I actually felt pretty sorry for Jonathon - I can understand why he behaves the way he does: he is physically abused by his father, has a mother who is too afraid of her husband to really help her son and a brother (Robert) who clearly doesn't care. I kind of expected his father to be a bastard (that is usually a common set-up in books of this nature) but the real eye-opener for me was Robert. He denies that his father ever hurt him (Jonathon disagrees), and having read Jonathon's psychological report fails to believe his brother's symptoms. At times, this had me guessing as to whether or not Jonathon is a reliable narrator. The brothers live in the same house and share the same space but they have very different memories of their childhood upbringing. I also found Robert pretty annoying since he portrayed Jonathon as someone who always made things up and wanted attention. (Now this may be true but somehow I cannot fully believe this). He also made excuses for his father's physical abuse towards his brother, which, to me, is inexcusable.
Whilst there were a few light-hearted moments in Dear Everybody, the novel focuses mainly on mental illness and suicide. It is a tough subject to read about and, unfortunately, not one filled with hope. Nevertheless, Kimball's prose isn't heavy and encourages you to read on. (I found myself tearing through these letters on my train journeys).
What Dear Everybody does is present the life of a character who is emotionally disturbed, a guy who wanted to find happiness and be loved, and in some ways, he does. I believe the saddest thing about Jonathon is that he was always a highly sensitive/uptight/anxious/depressed child whose unfortunate childhood (an abusive father, scared mother and indifferent brother) only further encouraged his illness to grow, an illness which plagued him throughout his short life, and which ultimately, claimed it.
An incredibly poignant and thought-provoking read which will move you to tears.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2009
Once again, in the spirit of disclosure, Michael Kimball and I have collaborated before. He wrote about me for his postcard life stories project here:
http://postcardlifestories.blogspot.c...
And he interviewed me for my virtual book tour here:
http://michael-kimball.com/blog.php?i...
In any case, you know those scenes in cheesey romantic movies where the guy runs outside and yells, "I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!!"? I was actually tempted to do this with Michael Kimball's _Dear_Everybody_--just run outside and yell, "I LOVE THIS NOVEL!!!" It's that good.
_Dear_Everybody_ is a compilation of Jonathon Bender's suicide documents--letters to everybody, combined with other documents--his ex-wife's funeral eulogy for him, his mother's diary.
It is a sometimes funny, mostly heartbreaking, incredibly understanding portrayal of a character with mental illness. Highly recommended. And, yes, I'll admit it. I cried.
http://postcardlifestories.blogspot.c...
And he interviewed me for my virtual book tour here:
http://michael-kimball.com/blog.php?i...
In any case, you know those scenes in cheesey romantic movies where the guy runs outside and yells, "I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!!"? I was actually tempted to do this with Michael Kimball's _Dear_Everybody_--just run outside and yell, "I LOVE THIS NOVEL!!!" It's that good.
_Dear_Everybody_ is a compilation of Jonathon Bender's suicide documents--letters to everybody, combined with other documents--his ex-wife's funeral eulogy for him, his mother's diary.
It is a sometimes funny, mostly heartbreaking, incredibly understanding portrayal of a character with mental illness. Highly recommended. And, yes, I'll admit it. I cried.
July 7, 2011
A really moving work. I read almost the entire thing in one sitting, but then I realized I had been in the bagel shop for a while and I was the only one, so I got self-conscious and left. The characters are so vivid but never fall into stereotypes; they are always surprising and revealing, one page after the other.
November 14, 2017
Ένα βιβλίο και μια ιστορία που μιλούν για την κατάθλιψη και την αυτοκτονία με έναν διαφορετικό τρόπο αφήγησης... Μέσα από γράμματα, επικήδειους, σημειώσεις ημερολογίου, κάποιες συνομιλίες, ιατρικές αναφορές και άλλα μαθαίνουμε και βλέπουμε την πορεία της σύντομης ζωής του Τζόναθαν Μπέντερ...
Όλα αυτά με έκαναν να νιώσω και να πονέσω για τον Τζόναθαν ο οποίος δείχνει σημάδια ψυχικής διαταραχής από πολύ νεαρή ηλικία αλλά χάρη σε έναν σκληρό και αυστηρό πατέρα, μια φοβισμένη μητέρα και έναν αδιάφορο αδερφό δεν έχει την αντιμετώπιση που σαφώς χρειαζόταν...
Εντάξει, η ζωή του δεν ήταν πάντα μίζερη και καταθλιπτική υπήρχαν και διαστήματα που έζησε την ευτυχία, αλλά ήταν παροδικά και σύντομα σε διάρκεια, σαν τον ήλιο που βγαίνει μέσα στη μαυρίλα της καταιγίδας για λίγο μέχρι να τον πνίξουν τα σύννεφα και πάλι...
Δε μπορώ να πω ότι έκλαψα (το συνηθίζω σε δράματα) αλλά ένα πλάκωμα στο στήθος το ένιωσα, μια αδικία, ένα γιατί... Γιατί θα έπρεπε αυτός ο άνθρωπος να τα περάσει όλα αυτά, γιατί να οδηγηθεί σε αυτό το τέλος, γιατί να μη βρεθεί κάποιος να τον βοηθήσει πραγματικά, γιατί???
Όλα αυτά με έκαναν να νιώσω και να πονέσω για τον Τζόναθαν ο οποίος δείχνει σημάδια ψυχικής διαταραχής από πολύ νεαρή ηλικία αλλά χάρη σε έναν σκληρό και αυστηρό πατέρα, μια φοβισμένη μητέρα και έναν αδιάφορο αδερφό δεν έχει την αντιμετώπιση που σαφώς χρειαζόταν...
Εντάξει, η ζωή του δεν ήταν πάντα μίζερη και καταθλιπτική υπήρχαν και διαστήματα που έζησε την ευτυχία, αλλά ήταν παροδικά και σύντομα σε διάρκεια, σαν τον ήλιο που βγαίνει μέσα στη μαυρίλα της καταιγίδας για λίγο μέχρι να τον πνίξουν τα σύννεφα και πάλι...
Δε μπορώ να πω ότι έκλαψα (το συνηθίζω σε δράματα) αλλά ένα πλάκωμα στο στήθος το ένιωσα, μια αδικία, ένα γιατί... Γιατί θα έπρεπε αυτός ο άνθρωπος να τα περάσει όλα αυτά, γιατί να οδηγηθεί σε αυτό το τέλος, γιατί να μη βρεθεί κάποιος να τον βοηθήσει πραγματικά, γιατί???
May 23, 2010
Review copy from author
While attending the CityLit Festival in Baltimore last month, I sat in on Michael Kimball's 510 Readings. Back at home, I did a little research and discovered that he was an author himself (he is host and creator of the 510 Readings, but had not read at the event I attended). Of course I just HAD to contact him to inquire about his wonderful event and the books he has written. And Michael was kind enough to mail me out a review copy of "Dear Everybody", for which I thank him profusely!
Dear Everybody is a novel (to use the authors words from the Title page) "written in the form of letters, diary entries, encyclopedia entries, conversations with various people, notes sent home from teachers, newspaper articles, psychological evaluations, weather reports, a missing person flyer, a eulogy, a Last Will and Testament, and other fragments, which taken together tell the story of the short life of Jonathon Bender, Weatherman."
While a not entirely new concept, telling a story through the use of letters, author Michael Kimball breaks new ground by beginning with his character Bender's obituary, and leaving Bender's brother Robert to piece together the bits of the life he has left behind to try and understand why Jonathon killed himself.
We read excerpts of diary entries written by his mother Alice - starting at the time of his conception. We are shown clipped conversations that took place between Robert and their father after Jonathon's death. We read Jonathon's letters of apologies to nearly everyone he ever had any contact with - from neighbors, to elementary school bullies, to ex-girlfriends, to teachers, and employers.
Kimball shows us how Jonathon deals with a father that didn't want him and didn't know how to communicate with him, a mother who had high expectations for him and had a hard time accepting him for who he was, a brother who wrote him off and left him to his own devices.
Though the book is bleak by nature, the author skillfully creates pockets of humor to alleviate the overwhelmingly sad and painful look at this broken, unwanted, self conscious, and eventually depressed young man.
The more I read, the more I wanted to reach in and save Jonathon from his unhealthy life. The more I wanted to slap his mother for not doing something to change what she saw happening, to show how she became a part of the problem as she sat there ignoring it. The more I wanted to kill his father for the all the grief and headaches and pain he caused him. The more I wanted to curl up next to Jonathon to show him there was more to life than giving in to the madness of a dysfunctional family. I wanted to teach him how to fight and to be strong and to be his own person.
And the more it made me realize how everything I do, everything I say, affects those around me. And the more it made me want to be a better person - for myself, and for those I love and care most about.
Bravo Michael. A beautifully crafted collage of life, as told not only by the letters of the man who lived it, but also by everybody who had affected it.
While attending the CityLit Festival in Baltimore last month, I sat in on Michael Kimball's 510 Readings. Back at home, I did a little research and discovered that he was an author himself (he is host and creator of the 510 Readings, but had not read at the event I attended). Of course I just HAD to contact him to inquire about his wonderful event and the books he has written. And Michael was kind enough to mail me out a review copy of "Dear Everybody", for which I thank him profusely!
Dear Everybody is a novel (to use the authors words from the Title page) "written in the form of letters, diary entries, encyclopedia entries, conversations with various people, notes sent home from teachers, newspaper articles, psychological evaluations, weather reports, a missing person flyer, a eulogy, a Last Will and Testament, and other fragments, which taken together tell the story of the short life of Jonathon Bender, Weatherman."
While a not entirely new concept, telling a story through the use of letters, author Michael Kimball breaks new ground by beginning with his character Bender's obituary, and leaving Bender's brother Robert to piece together the bits of the life he has left behind to try and understand why Jonathon killed himself.
We read excerpts of diary entries written by his mother Alice - starting at the time of his conception. We are shown clipped conversations that took place between Robert and their father after Jonathon's death. We read Jonathon's letters of apologies to nearly everyone he ever had any contact with - from neighbors, to elementary school bullies, to ex-girlfriends, to teachers, and employers.
Kimball shows us how Jonathon deals with a father that didn't want him and didn't know how to communicate with him, a mother who had high expectations for him and had a hard time accepting him for who he was, a brother who wrote him off and left him to his own devices.
Though the book is bleak by nature, the author skillfully creates pockets of humor to alleviate the overwhelmingly sad and painful look at this broken, unwanted, self conscious, and eventually depressed young man.
The more I read, the more I wanted to reach in and save Jonathon from his unhealthy life. The more I wanted to slap his mother for not doing something to change what she saw happening, to show how she became a part of the problem as she sat there ignoring it. The more I wanted to kill his father for the all the grief and headaches and pain he caused him. The more I wanted to curl up next to Jonathon to show him there was more to life than giving in to the madness of a dysfunctional family. I wanted to teach him how to fight and to be strong and to be his own person.
And the more it made me realize how everything I do, everything I say, affects those around me. And the more it made me want to be a better person - for myself, and for those I love and care most about.
Bravo Michael. A beautifully crafted collage of life, as told not only by the letters of the man who lived it, but also by everybody who had affected it.
May 12, 2009
I heard about this in various places and bumped it straight to the top of my 'get' and 'read' lists. And it was fantastic. I love letters and scraps so the form was perfect.
I had to read it so slowly as I wanted to savour every page. I couldn't bear the thought that I read it too quickly and thus got through Jonathon Bender's life too quickly. I had to remind myself regularly that he was a character not a real person.
It was so heartfelt, so real. Those quirky little ways of seeing things that aren't unique just to children. I'll never forget that bit about the undeveloped photos on the film.
And I'll recommended this book to all my friends. Very special. Very glad I read it.
[Up there with 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' for fragile depictions of difficult childhoods.:]
I had to read it so slowly as I wanted to savour every page. I couldn't bear the thought that I read it too quickly and thus got through Jonathon Bender's life too quickly. I had to remind myself regularly that he was a character not a real person.
It was so heartfelt, so real. Those quirky little ways of seeing things that aren't unique just to children. I'll never forget that bit about the undeveloped photos on the film.
And I'll recommended this book to all my friends. Very special. Very glad I read it.
[Up there with 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' for fragile depictions of difficult childhoods.:]
March 20, 2009
An expertly compiled bunch of detritus from the sad life of a character named Jonathon Bender. Through various letters (most apologetic), found documents, excerpts from his mom's diary, and conversation fragments, Michael Kimball has created a believable and progressively tragic piece of Americana. We know what's going to happen, but we still hold out hope for the unfortunate young man. Kimball writing is wonderfully understated and beautiful and I will read more of his work.
December 23, 2008
This book reminded me a bit of how I felt after reading INTO THE WILD, the sadness of a life and vision and sensitive soul lost to the world. It still moves me, whenever I think of it, days afterwards. Even though this book's character is fictional, he felt and continues to feel real to me. And I still feel the loss. Just incredible.
July 13, 2017
It's hard to review this book because there are things that I liked very much, and things I didn't like at all. I didn't like that Jonathon's younger brother Robert was the one who put all the various letters, articles, and diary entries together to tell Jonathon's story. Robert was not particularly sympathetic toward Jonathon and apparently deliberately ignored their father's abuse of Jonathon. Since Robert was only two years younger than his brother, there is no excuse for that. Or is there? Robert redacted a portion of one of Jonathon's letters which I suspect related to the possibility of sexual abuse of Robert by their father. Robert claimed it never happened, whatever it was.
I liked the letters Jonathon wrote about his childhood. Some of them were incredibly poignant. As Jonathon grew older, I found myself less sympathetic when reading his letters. His later years were pretty much the standard story of a person with bipolar disorder. I am not unsympathetic towards people with bipolar, especially when their depression becomes so severe that it leads to suicide, as it did in Jonathon's case. I felt sorry for him, but I felt more sorry for his wife, Sara, because she loved him but could not deal with his delusions and his increasingly severe symptoms.
I don't often give a book four stars, but despite the things I disliked about this book, I think it deserves that rating. It is imaginatively put together, reminding me of Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman, the first book of this type that I read, years ago when it first came out. Final analysis: Worth the read, but does not completely live up to the rave reviews.
I liked the letters Jonathon wrote about his childhood. Some of them were incredibly poignant. As Jonathon grew older, I found myself less sympathetic when reading his letters. His later years were pretty much the standard story of a person with bipolar disorder. I am not unsympathetic towards people with bipolar, especially when their depression becomes so severe that it leads to suicide, as it did in Jonathon's case. I felt sorry for him, but I felt more sorry for his wife, Sara, because she loved him but could not deal with his delusions and his increasingly severe symptoms.
I don't often give a book four stars, but despite the things I disliked about this book, I think it deserves that rating. It is imaginatively put together, reminding me of Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman, the first book of this type that I read, years ago when it first came out. Final analysis: Worth the read, but does not completely live up to the rave reviews.
Read
July 14, 2020So, here's the thing, you know there is pain to come. What you also quickly know is that the experiencing said pain is going to be highly engrossing. And what you ultimately find out - spoiler alert, maybe - is that a book about child abuse, mental illness and suicide can be done without magic realism or horrific near-horror movie violence, but still be moving, even paralyzing, and that pain can be captured on the page both sparsely and lyrically, an achievement that is magical in all its own way.
August 26, 2009
They should have more stars for books like this.
Dear Everybody, by Michael Kimball is definitely up there in my all time favourites list. It is incredibly good. Wow. Read it.
From http://nikperring.blogspot.com
Dear Everybody, by Michael Kimball is definitely up there in my all time favourites list. It is incredibly good. Wow. Read it.
From http://nikperring.blogspot.com
September 21, 2013
Το χρονικό μιας αυτοκτονίας μέσα από επιστολές προς όλους και προς τον καθένα ξεχωριστά. Το λάτρεψα!
March 14, 2018
Πέρασα πολύ καλά διαβάζοντάς το!
August 31, 2008
Absolutely stunning!
August 18, 2022
Basically Diary of a Wimpy Kid for suicide. Love the idea: a compendium of notes and afterlings that comprise a shit life ended far too soon. We don't just hear how the narrator's suicide affects others, but how his tenuous and craven relationships with those around him seemed to form a conscious one-sided mirror for which he could never escape. The presentation is intentionally sparse (which I think would have required serious strength on Kimball's part given his Lipsyte/Lutz fandom). Unfortunately, I found this to be a pitfall. There wasn't much literary reprieve or pensive emotional feely-shit in here, and I feel like the novel could have benefited greatly from it (especially considering the brooding despair and closing paranoia of the narrator). All this being said, I found 'Dear Everybody' to be a worthwhile read and I really admire Michael Kimball. I'll read more of his work in the future.
December 25, 2018
Michael Kimball writes about tragedy and loss head-on. No irony, no trickery, no temporary departures to higher ground. His novels tell the stories of endings and aftermaths and collateral damage—the stuff that happens after most novels end. He goes for it. His sentences are clean and luminous. He tells the truth. He is absolutely one of my favorite writers.
January 23, 2022
This novel in the form of letters and other ephemera just didn't come alive for me. The voices didn’t ring true and the attempts to tug heartstrings felt manipulative. I don't know what the author was trying to say but I was left depressed rather moved or illuminated.
May 6, 2018
I've never read something like this before. It was truly beautiful.
March 21, 2020
A touching novel, but wow, is it depressing.
Probably not the best book to read during the coronavirus.
Probably not the best book to read during the coronavirus.
February 23, 2022
It was a good, fast paced book that tackled a really serious topic. I thought it was going to be more emotional than it was.
August 5, 2021
A story of what it looks like to unpack from the darkest corners of our minds. Humor with a touch of stirring sadness. A child-like air with a moving depth of wisdom. Jonathan Bender sends a letter to everybody in his life, before he ends. This is a heart-rending tale of reconciliation.
I love the balance of wit and melancholy in this novel. Kimball engages his audience with through a raw depiction of human emotion. We are Everybody. And in some ways, we are Jonathon Bender too. The experience psychological trauma, the imprint of memories that seem trivial but never really are, the harbored guilt for things we inflicted on others, the buried hurt of things inflicted on us, the dreams we had but could never reach, the dreams we realize but never knew we had.
I've never read anything so honest. So painfully, brutally honest.
I love the balance of wit and melancholy in this novel. Kimball engages his audience with through a raw depiction of human emotion. We are Everybody. And in some ways, we are Jonathon Bender too. The experience psychological trauma, the imprint of memories that seem trivial but never really are, the harbored guilt for things we inflicted on others, the buried hurt of things inflicted on us, the dreams we had but could never reach, the dreams we realize but never knew we had.
I've never read anything so honest. So painfully, brutally honest.
June 17, 2012
This is my first time reading anything by Michael Kimball, and I was intrigued by this book after reading a review of his most recent book "Us" (http://therumpus.net/2012/05/101513/) that mentioned it. It is a collage of texts from one man's life compiled by his brother. What I liked about this book was its inventiveness, the fact that we can discover more about someone after they're dead than during their lifetime. I actually realized this myself after cleaning out my deceased aunt's house. This book attempts to piece together the questions we may have about suicide, however, nothing about it was surprising. He was an awkward kid, didn't have many friends, went to therapy and mental hospitals throughout his life, had an abusive father, got a divorce, etc. Of course those contribute to a depressed person. If point A is the beginning of the character's life and point B is the moment he kills himself, then Kimball built a perfectly coherent narrative to get from point A to point B, a classic downward slope. Through it's inventiveness, as in the novelty of its form, we find fiction. I've recently been on the hunt for moments in a work of fiction that could have been taken from the writer's actual life versus the moments that were completely imagined. This book is complete fiction and aware of itself as a piece of writing, to the point that it's hard to imagine a guy planning his suicide and writing to childhood friends in a child-like tone. I also never felt attached to the character in any way, mostly because I felt like I had met him before in some capacity. He was depressed and all of his actions emphasized that rather than contribute to a complex character.
This book would make a good beach read as it doesn't take much focus or emotional investment, but isn't life changing. Go read "...Or not to be" a book compiled of real suicide notes if you want some real heartbreaking texts.
This book would make a good beach read as it doesn't take much focus or emotional investment, but isn't life changing. Go read "...Or not to be" a book compiled of real suicide notes if you want some real heartbreaking texts.
March 25, 2009
A work of fiction comprised of an absurd amount of suicide letters addressed to not only the obvious mother, father, brother but to the other central figures in the main characters life: santa claus, Michael J. Fox,e.g. Written with a mastery that only Kimball possesses, I found myself laughing out loud, glued to the pages in submerged thought and shivering from the cold reality of loneliness that plagues the suicidal but the desire for a different, more appealing life he desperatly seeks but seems just out of touch. I received this from just flipping through the pages. I can't wait to saunter through this work. Kimball is a writer that speaks to me in such mysterious, yet lucid turns. Like Martin told Joy Division when he produced their greatest work, "Okay boys, now play it faster and at the same time slower; this reminds me of Kimball's work. For those who have not read his work and are fans of Gary Lutz, Sam Lipsyte, George Saunders, Brian Evenson, etc., I implore you to hunt down his work and be thankful that there are still writers, like Kimball, who love the word,sentence, message of the human spirit.
November 1, 2012
The idea of this novel was absolutely intriguing - a man commits suicide, and his estranged brother sifts through the detritus of his life, trying to work out why Jonathon took his own life. Most of the book consists of a series of letters written by Jonathon to everyone from his ex-wife to the Easter Bunny, along with input from his brother's conversations with his father and others.[return][return]This style could so easily have been overcomplicated, become distracting, or simply have failed to be as intriguing as Kimball intended, but it was perfectly executed. I read the entire book in one sitting, because I found that the style in which it was written compelling.[return][return]A small niggle - Jonathon and his parents are wonderfully well-developed characters, but everyone else feels peripheral to the storyline, even when it's clear that they played a key part in Jonathan's life. One gets the sense that he feels attached to these other characters, but without the feeling of participating in an extended relationship with them.
November 28, 2008
Dear Everybody is the life of weatherman Jonathon who commits suicide. Starting from his death and going back, his brother Robert helps tell you Jonathon's story for himself and the readers. Robert collects various diary entries of his mother's, letters that Jonathon wrote to a wide variety of poeple, interviews with people who knew Jonathon such as his parents, and more to tell this story of a life who tried so hard...yet couldn't make it.
I'm a big fan of stories told in this type of manner, and I think it was very effective. The story allows you to see inside the mind of Jonathon and those that knew him, yet never truly gives you the reason behind his death for when it comes to suicide, it's hard to ever get the real answer. Dear Everybody is a quick read, yet very interesting and true to life. This book tells the tale of infidelity, mental illness, and the fact that life is often hard to manage.
I'm a big fan of stories told in this type of manner, and I think it was very effective. The story allows you to see inside the mind of Jonathon and those that knew him, yet never truly gives you the reason behind his death for when it comes to suicide, it's hard to ever get the real answer. Dear Everybody is a quick read, yet very interesting and true to life. This book tells the tale of infidelity, mental illness, and the fact that life is often hard to manage.
August 19, 2009
One of my favorite contemporary reads as I simply couldn't put it down even though the ending is the beginning. Kimball uses a creative approach to masterfully unfold the life and death of a troubled but likable man. The story of Jonathan Bender is told through suicide letters written by him to almost everyone and everything that he encountered in his short life including the Easter Bunny. Through these letters, the author captures key slices of Bender's life which implies why he chose to end his life. Other characters are entwined through out offering their perspective on Jonathan's life which is a really nice and well thought out dimension to this book. Through personal diary entries and correspondence from family members and others who crossed his path, Jonathan's life was revisited and seemed so real. I actually wish I knew Jonathan so I could maybe save him.
Kimball also has a unique and refreshing style in his presentation and delivery of his text which is an added bonus.
Kimball also has a unique and refreshing style in his presentation and delivery of his text which is an added bonus.
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