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I Only Cry with Emoticons
The Rumpus Book Club Pick, May 2022
Most Anticipated Books of 2022, The Rumpus
16 Upcoming Books from Indie Presses You’ll Love, BuzzFeed
Best Books of the Summer, Powell’s
Saul doesn't get why he's misunderstood. At his high-tech day job, he hides in the bathroom writing a novel about his dead grandfather and wonders why his boss wants to fire him. He tells his almost ex-wife about a blind date and wonders why she slams the door in his face. He aches with worry for his seven-year-old son, who seems happier living with his mom and her new man.
When the blind date becomes a complicated relationship, and Saul’s blunders at work threaten the survival of the company, Saul has to wake up and confront his fears.
I Only Cry with Emoticons is a quirky comedy that reveals the cost of being disconnected—even when we're using a dozen apps on our devices to communicate—and an awkward man's search for real connections, on and offline.
Most Anticipated Books of 2022, The Rumpus
16 Upcoming Books from Indie Presses You’ll Love, BuzzFeed
Best Books of the Summer, Powell’s
Saul doesn't get why he's misunderstood. At his high-tech day job, he hides in the bathroom writing a novel about his dead grandfather and wonders why his boss wants to fire him. He tells his almost ex-wife about a blind date and wonders why she slams the door in his face. He aches with worry for his seven-year-old son, who seems happier living with his mom and her new man.
When the blind date becomes a complicated relationship, and Saul’s blunders at work threaten the survival of the company, Saul has to wake up and confront his fears.
I Only Cry with Emoticons is a quirky comedy that reveals the cost of being disconnected—even when we're using a dozen apps on our devices to communicate—and an awkward man's search for real connections, on and offline.
- GenresFiction
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2022
5 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Yuvi Zalkow
3 books34 followersYuvi Zalkow is the author of I Only Cry with Emoticons (Red Hen, 2022) and A Brilliant Novel in the Works. His short stories have been published in Glimmer Train, Narrative Magazine, Carve Magazine, Rosebud, The Los Angeles Review, and others. He received an MFA from Antioch University. Yuvi uses his poor drawing skills to make YouTube videos and mobile apps that ooze with his worries and anxiety.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 21, 2022
A multi-layered, laugh-out-loud, pretty-damn-hard-to-put-down novel about a man struggling with his recent divorce, his overwhelming and inane tech job, his relationships with his son and his folks and his ex and his maybe-but-maybe-not new love, his broken novel, and—above all—his penchant for self-sabotage. It's as tender as it is funny, full of vulnerable, honest, messy writing about masculinity and intimacy and fatherhood. I loved this book and wholeheartedly recommend it.
March 31, 2022
I Only Cry with Emoticons opens with a mild-anxiety-producing scene much too familiar to me: dealing with collaboration software at work that is more irksome than helpful. ARGHHHHH! I immediately knew I would love this book. It made me cringe and laugh nervously at the same time. A few chapters in, I was confused, though. Is this a light comedy or a light drama? It is definitely both.
We follow Saul, a mildly neurotic and insecure writer, as he tries to rebuild his romantic life, finish a novel that his best friend at work calls a turd, be a good father, and survive the daily life at a tech startup. He proves to be highly competent, but he is deeply unsatisfied at his day job, and while writing is his true passion, working on that novel has become torture. Load into memory all your quirky, funny, insecure, and self-deprecating Jewish stereotypes from films and TV, and you’ll understand the type. You’ll love the man, but he’s going to make you want to shake him too, especially in regard to his self-sabotaging behavior toward Kitty, his romantic interest. But that’s life! Close to the end of the novel, he drops the phrase: “Think of me as an immortal gefilte fish.” If that makes you smile but also scratch your head with confusion and flinch a little (earth, please swallow me!), you will deeply enjoy this book!
We follow Saul, a mildly neurotic and insecure writer, as he tries to rebuild his romantic life, finish a novel that his best friend at work calls a turd, be a good father, and survive the daily life at a tech startup. He proves to be highly competent, but he is deeply unsatisfied at his day job, and while writing is his true passion, working on that novel has become torture. Load into memory all your quirky, funny, insecure, and self-deprecating Jewish stereotypes from films and TV, and you’ll understand the type. You’ll love the man, but he’s going to make you want to shake him too, especially in regard to his self-sabotaging behavior toward Kitty, his romantic interest. But that’s life! Close to the end of the novel, he drops the phrase: “Think of me as an immortal gefilte fish.” If that makes you smile but also scratch your head with confusion and flinch a little (earth, please swallow me!), you will deeply enjoy this book!
June 29, 2022
I was swiftly delighted by following Saul, the protagonist of this fast-paced story. I found myself amused to chuckling on every other page, but I soon discovered Saul's angst and inner sorrow, as well. Saul is definitely searching, and his quest keeps the pages turning.
When Saul met Kitty, I was as unsure about her as he was, but I ended up falling head-over-heels for her, as well. I read this book in two or three sittings, and it left me longing for more. I laughed, cried, and felt deeply throughout. Highly recommend!
When Saul met Kitty, I was as unsure about her as he was, but I ended up falling head-over-heels for her, as well. I read this book in two or three sittings, and it left me longing for more. I laughed, cried, and felt deeply throughout. Highly recommend!
June 29, 2022
Ummmm.... I was very interested in the topic and I LOVED the cover and the title but uhhh... it's giving me "white man who loves hearing his own thoughts and wrote a book". I don't think the writing or flow was that good and there are some lines where I can imagine somebody smugly writing thinking it's so smart, but it's really not. [Perhaps this is part of the Saul character! It just annoyed me throughout the book.]
Granted, I thought the near-future tech infused world (or maybe already here in some more tech-y companies than mine??) was cool, the evangelist concept was interesting, and the family dynamics felt very real. I just really did not care about this Saul guy who seems SO head empty and the writing was not eloquent enough for me to confidently say that some of the whack things were intentional.
Granted, I thought the near-future tech infused world (or maybe already here in some more tech-y companies than mine??) was cool, the evangelist concept was interesting, and the family dynamics felt very real. I just really did not care about this Saul guy who seems SO head empty and the writing was not eloquent enough for me to confidently say that some of the whack things were intentional.
June 12, 2022
Yuvi Zalkow has the unique ability to turn neuroses into both comedy and charm. As his protagonist, Saul, navigates real connections with other humans, he must also come to terms with his soulless job working for an app development company -- whose business model is based on keyboard interaction. None of it is smooth sailing for Saul, the kind of man who starts to feel queasy before dipping his toe in the water. While Zalkow's anti-hero defines himself by his awkwardness, make no mistake -- this is the coolest awkward book out there. Period. (There is no emoticon for “period,” just a dot, which doesn’t convey nearly enough coolness or awkwardness.)
April 7, 2022
Loved this book, and Yuvi is a great guy. The fake company Saul works at is hilarious and reminds me very much of Slack. But aside from that, there's a lot of really tender stuff about family, generational trauma, and love. 100% recommend.
December 30, 2022
I liked this book, though I'm not entirely sure why I liked this book.
My normal fare is action thrillers — books like Brad Thor's or Mark Greaney's — so a meandering study of relationships and emotions is not my normal choice. It was also unusual [for me] that, to my eyes, the major conflict in the story was internal to Saul, the main character, rather than external.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this story of failed relationships, new relationships, old relationships, work relationships, family relationships, and romantic relationships. Although my life is very different than Saul's, I think I saw a lot of myself in him. Perhaps it's because I'm a software developer by trade; perhaps because I'm the father of two kids, one around the same as "his boy". Perhaps it's because I, too, am trying to understand the relationships in my life. Perhaps because Zalkow's book — and relationships in general — are universal.
My normal fare is action thrillers — books like Brad Thor's or Mark Greaney's — so a meandering study of relationships and emotions is not my normal choice. It was also unusual [for me] that, to my eyes, the major conflict in the story was internal to Saul, the main character, rather than external.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this story of failed relationships, new relationships, old relationships, work relationships, family relationships, and romantic relationships. Although my life is very different than Saul's, I think I saw a lot of myself in him. Perhaps it's because I'm a software developer by trade; perhaps because I'm the father of two kids, one around the same as "his boy". Perhaps it's because I, too, am trying to understand the relationships in my life. Perhaps because Zalkow's book — and relationships in general — are universal.
June 15, 2023
Reviewed by Billy Appelbaum on www.rowanglassworks.org.
Yuvi Zalkow’s second and newest novel, I Only Cry With Emoticons, is a hilarious ride through dealing with human connection in a modern age littered with smartphones, tablets, dating apps, and hashtags. At its core, it’s a story about responsibility. It begs the question, how do we take responsibility for our irresponsible reliance on technology? How do we take responsibility for allowing ourselves to become so disconnected not just with one another, but our own lives?
The story starts with our protagonist, a man named Saul, complaining to the reader about his boss’s disappointment in his activity within their company, Collaboration Hub’s social media site. He’s honest with the reader, admitting his lack of involvement stems from the frequent bathroom breaks that he uses to write his novel. Saul justifies this by telling the reader that despite the company’s aim to “Take Collaboration to the Next Level™” he doesn’t like collaborating in the modern world (4). He wishes to disconnect from everyone and focus on his novel—a novel he has been stuck on for years—a stuckness which resulted in his wife ultimately leaving him. At his core, Saul is disconnecting with those around him, and feeling unfulfilled as a result of his isolation.
He reminds readers of the ways we’ve been stuck in our own lives. His boss is emblematic of the voice we have in our heads telling us You’re not doing enough! I wanna see more! pushing us to give more to what we are already involved in. His desire to write the novel, emblematic of our desire to do the thing we have been putting off for so long, working on for so long, the thing we desperately want to finish.
Zalkow writes with a hilarious and unique voice that feels stream of consciousness, which brings us into the mind of his character while also painting vivid scene after vivid scene that leaves the reader laughing the whole way through. At one point he tells us about a really nice text he’s sending to his son, then says he “go[es to] mope in the bathroom,” before delivering a riot of a run on sentence:
When you’re sitting in a bathroom stall pretending to take a shit and your boss knows you are pretending to take a shit and your head throbs and you have in front of you a story with a fictionalized version of a woman who doesn’t even qualify as your ex-girlfriend but is somehow sitting on your fictional grandfather’s dry goods counter with a notepad from a real hotel, it is difficult to relax. (105)
Sentences like these take us into Saul’s world, giving us every detail of what is going on in his mind, and around him, giving us hilarious imagery and creating humor as his voice jumps out at us from the page.
Readers go along for the ride as Saul juggles and navigates relationships at work, adjusting to his divorce and creating a new relationship to his wife, figuring out how to be with his son when his iPad is his third but primary parent, caring for his aging father, and of course, a love interest named Kitty whom his coworker attempts to set him up with.
Saul’s biggest hurdle is himself as he constantly seems to sabotage himself every chance he gets. At one point he’s even told, “I am sure you can stumble your way onto the right path if you want to. But when I look at you I’m not sure I see a man who wants to be on the right path” (152).
This is the most relatable aspect of the entire novel. At the time of reading and reviewing this book, I struggled with getting myself to most things. In the age of the pandemic, getting oneself to do anything often felt like an uphill battle; Saul reminds us that we are not alone in this. It makes it all the more satisfying when Saul finally admits that for some reason, he “get[s] comfort from “banging [his] head against the wall” (164). Seeing it put this way makes the reader realize wait a minute. Sometimes I get comfort from banging my head against the wall. Why is this? When Saul decides to begin taking responsibility for his actions, even if it means diving into discomfort, he demonstrates to the reader that while banging our heads may be comforting, what we must do to achieve results in our lives is be with discomfort.
Saul’s final gauntlet forces him to face and ponder the complexity of not just his relationships, but all relationships. Saul doesn’t undergo some massive change as a person, just who he is being and how he approaches the situations in his life. It’s a more realistic, more human take, showing readers that we aren’t going to have something happen that snaps us to perfection, but that we must choose to be who we are, choose the complexity of our relationships and lives, and be okay with the discomfort that comes from actually trying—and yes, trying includes cleaning up previous messes we’ve left behind. By the end of the book, Saul makes a decision that will alter how he interacts with those and the world around him.
In doing this, he discovers and shares the complexity of human relationships in their own right. This is what the book best demonstrates—our complexity and the workability given to us by accepting and being with that complexity, rather than trying to constantly boil it down and simplify it. Throughout the book we see Saul screw up various relationships of his by saying and doing the wrong thing, but always demonstrating a willingness and ability to own that and try again, even if owning that means Hey I totally screwed everything up and have been neglecting it, let’s fix it now and then you don't have to worry about me anymore. Zalkow’s hilarious and personal story demonstrates to us that it is never too late to turn a situation around.
Yuvi Zalkow’s second and newest novel, I Only Cry With Emoticons, is a hilarious ride through dealing with human connection in a modern age littered with smartphones, tablets, dating apps, and hashtags. At its core, it’s a story about responsibility. It begs the question, how do we take responsibility for our irresponsible reliance on technology? How do we take responsibility for allowing ourselves to become so disconnected not just with one another, but our own lives?
The story starts with our protagonist, a man named Saul, complaining to the reader about his boss’s disappointment in his activity within their company, Collaboration Hub’s social media site. He’s honest with the reader, admitting his lack of involvement stems from the frequent bathroom breaks that he uses to write his novel. Saul justifies this by telling the reader that despite the company’s aim to “Take Collaboration to the Next Level™” he doesn’t like collaborating in the modern world (4). He wishes to disconnect from everyone and focus on his novel—a novel he has been stuck on for years—a stuckness which resulted in his wife ultimately leaving him. At his core, Saul is disconnecting with those around him, and feeling unfulfilled as a result of his isolation.
He reminds readers of the ways we’ve been stuck in our own lives. His boss is emblematic of the voice we have in our heads telling us You’re not doing enough! I wanna see more! pushing us to give more to what we are already involved in. His desire to write the novel, emblematic of our desire to do the thing we have been putting off for so long, working on for so long, the thing we desperately want to finish.
Zalkow writes with a hilarious and unique voice that feels stream of consciousness, which brings us into the mind of his character while also painting vivid scene after vivid scene that leaves the reader laughing the whole way through. At one point he tells us about a really nice text he’s sending to his son, then says he “go[es to] mope in the bathroom,” before delivering a riot of a run on sentence:
When you’re sitting in a bathroom stall pretending to take a shit and your boss knows you are pretending to take a shit and your head throbs and you have in front of you a story with a fictionalized version of a woman who doesn’t even qualify as your ex-girlfriend but is somehow sitting on your fictional grandfather’s dry goods counter with a notepad from a real hotel, it is difficult to relax. (105)
Sentences like these take us into Saul’s world, giving us every detail of what is going on in his mind, and around him, giving us hilarious imagery and creating humor as his voice jumps out at us from the page.
Readers go along for the ride as Saul juggles and navigates relationships at work, adjusting to his divorce and creating a new relationship to his wife, figuring out how to be with his son when his iPad is his third but primary parent, caring for his aging father, and of course, a love interest named Kitty whom his coworker attempts to set him up with.
Saul’s biggest hurdle is himself as he constantly seems to sabotage himself every chance he gets. At one point he’s even told, “I am sure you can stumble your way onto the right path if you want to. But when I look at you I’m not sure I see a man who wants to be on the right path” (152).
This is the most relatable aspect of the entire novel. At the time of reading and reviewing this book, I struggled with getting myself to most things. In the age of the pandemic, getting oneself to do anything often felt like an uphill battle; Saul reminds us that we are not alone in this. It makes it all the more satisfying when Saul finally admits that for some reason, he “get[s] comfort from “banging [his] head against the wall” (164). Seeing it put this way makes the reader realize wait a minute. Sometimes I get comfort from banging my head against the wall. Why is this? When Saul decides to begin taking responsibility for his actions, even if it means diving into discomfort, he demonstrates to the reader that while banging our heads may be comforting, what we must do to achieve results in our lives is be with discomfort.
Saul’s final gauntlet forces him to face and ponder the complexity of not just his relationships, but all relationships. Saul doesn’t undergo some massive change as a person, just who he is being and how he approaches the situations in his life. It’s a more realistic, more human take, showing readers that we aren’t going to have something happen that snaps us to perfection, but that we must choose to be who we are, choose the complexity of our relationships and lives, and be okay with the discomfort that comes from actually trying—and yes, trying includes cleaning up previous messes we’ve left behind. By the end of the book, Saul makes a decision that will alter how he interacts with those and the world around him.
In doing this, he discovers and shares the complexity of human relationships in their own right. This is what the book best demonstrates—our complexity and the workability given to us by accepting and being with that complexity, rather than trying to constantly boil it down and simplify it. Throughout the book we see Saul screw up various relationships of his by saying and doing the wrong thing, but always demonstrating a willingness and ability to own that and try again, even if owning that means Hey I totally screwed everything up and have been neglecting it, let’s fix it now and then you don't have to worry about me anymore. Zalkow’s hilarious and personal story demonstrates to us that it is never too late to turn a situation around.
January 7, 2026
I Only Cry with Emoticons is a smart, heartfelt, and refreshingly original novel that captures the quiet absurdities of modern life with wit and emotional intelligence. Yuvi Zalkow delivers a beautifully balanced story that blends humor and vulnerability, offering readers a deeply relatable portrait of disconnection in an age obsessed with communication. This is contemporary fiction at its most honest and engaging.
Saul is an endearing, flawed protagonist whose internal struggles feel authentic and timely. His awkward missteps at work, in love, and in fatherhood are portrayed with warmth and empathy, making him impossible not to root for. Zalkow’s comedic timing is sharp, but what truly elevates the novel is its emotional depth beneath the humor lies a poignant exploration of grief, loneliness, and the human need for genuine connection.
The novel’s commentary on technology and emotional distance is especially effective, never heavy-handed but always insightful. Zalkow captures how easily people can feel isolated even while constantly “connected,” a theme that resonates strongly in today’s digital world. The writing is clean, clever, and effortlessly readable, pulling readers along while quietly asking meaningful questions about how we show up for one another.
I Only Cry with Emoticons is a standout work of contemporary fiction thoughtful, funny, and deeply human. It��s an ideal recommendation for readers who enjoy character driven stories with heart, humor, and relevance. This is a novel that entertains while leaving a lasting emotional impression, making it a strong and highly marketable read.
Saul is an endearing, flawed protagonist whose internal struggles feel authentic and timely. His awkward missteps at work, in love, and in fatherhood are portrayed with warmth and empathy, making him impossible not to root for. Zalkow’s comedic timing is sharp, but what truly elevates the novel is its emotional depth beneath the humor lies a poignant exploration of grief, loneliness, and the human need for genuine connection.
The novel’s commentary on technology and emotional distance is especially effective, never heavy-handed but always insightful. Zalkow captures how easily people can feel isolated even while constantly “connected,” a theme that resonates strongly in today’s digital world. The writing is clean, clever, and effortlessly readable, pulling readers along while quietly asking meaningful questions about how we show up for one another.
I Only Cry with Emoticons is a standout work of contemporary fiction thoughtful, funny, and deeply human. It��s an ideal recommendation for readers who enjoy character driven stories with heart, humor, and relevance. This is a novel that entertains while leaving a lasting emotional impression, making it a strong and highly marketable read.
August 29, 2022
This was a fun book. I was given an ARC (advance reader's copy) a few months ago and finally had time to read it this past week, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I usually prefer fantasy/sci-fi elements over literary fiction, but since it was a free book, I figured I might as well try it. One thing that caught my attention right away was the book's main character: Saul, a computer programmer who writes novels in his free time—exactly the kind of thing I'd like to do.
I Only Cry with Emoticons by Yuvi Zalkow is a book about a misunderstood computer programmer trying to write a novel about his dead grandfather while navigating his relationships with his almost ex-wife and seven-year-old son, Auggie. Saul hides in the bathroom at work writing his book and wonders why his boss wants to fire him and why his coworker, Anne, keeps butting into his personal life. When Anne sets him up on a blind date, Saul meets Kitty, a quirky, piggy-bank-collecting artist who challenges his relationship with his ex-wife, his son, his novel, and pretty much every other relationship he's ever had. Their relationship forces him to face the trauma of his past and address the consequences of being disconnected, both on and offline. Maybe, if Saul can find the answer in his novel, everything else in his life will finally be okay.
Despite dealing with intense emotions, relationships, and themes, I Only Cry with Emoticons is still a comedy that maintains a light-hearted tone. I loved learning about the characters and witnessing Saul's interactions with his son, his ex-wife, and Kitty. I enjoyed seeing how they pushed each other and helped each other grow and learn, and Auggie quickly carved himself a special place in my heart. And even though I thought Saul was an idiot at times who was constantly making the (obviously, in my eyes) wrong decisions, he was still likable, and I rooted for him to find his way.
There was only one thing I disliked about this novel, and it is very much a personal preference thing. Instead of quotation marks, all of the dialogue is in italics. I've seen that style before, but I'm still getting used to it, so at times, it was hard to focus on the dialogue. If that is something that bothers you, then maybe this book isn't for you—but if not, I definitely recommend it.
I am happy to rate I Only Cry with Emoticons by Yuvi Zalkow 5/5 stars. It taught me a lot about human relationships, and I hope you allow it to do the same for you.
I Only Cry with Emoticons by Yuvi Zalkow is a book about a misunderstood computer programmer trying to write a novel about his dead grandfather while navigating his relationships with his almost ex-wife and seven-year-old son, Auggie. Saul hides in the bathroom at work writing his book and wonders why his boss wants to fire him and why his coworker, Anne, keeps butting into his personal life. When Anne sets him up on a blind date, Saul meets Kitty, a quirky, piggy-bank-collecting artist who challenges his relationship with his ex-wife, his son, his novel, and pretty much every other relationship he's ever had. Their relationship forces him to face the trauma of his past and address the consequences of being disconnected, both on and offline. Maybe, if Saul can find the answer in his novel, everything else in his life will finally be okay.
Despite dealing with intense emotions, relationships, and themes, I Only Cry with Emoticons is still a comedy that maintains a light-hearted tone. I loved learning about the characters and witnessing Saul's interactions with his son, his ex-wife, and Kitty. I enjoyed seeing how they pushed each other and helped each other grow and learn, and Auggie quickly carved himself a special place in my heart. And even though I thought Saul was an idiot at times who was constantly making the (obviously, in my eyes) wrong decisions, he was still likable, and I rooted for him to find his way.
There was only one thing I disliked about this novel, and it is very much a personal preference thing. Instead of quotation marks, all of the dialogue is in italics. I've seen that style before, but I'm still getting used to it, so at times, it was hard to focus on the dialogue. If that is something that bothers you, then maybe this book isn't for you—but if not, I definitely recommend it.
I am happy to rate I Only Cry with Emoticons by Yuvi Zalkow 5/5 stars. It taught me a lot about human relationships, and I hope you allow it to do the same for you.
August 30, 2022
The tone and writing style of this book are clever and engaging which makes the topics it spans come to life well. It follows Saul, a recently divorced father of one who works his day job at a tech company dealing with communication and coding problems when all he really wants is to write a novel and maybe deal with the communication problems he has in his real life with his soon to be ex-wife. He's neurotic and deeply insecure about his abilities and when he does get a chance to trudge through his writing, he's worried that he's making the same mistakes his father made when raising him. So many of the conversations and situations in this book feel extremely authentic and the journey the book makes has its happy moments and its sad moments and every other emotion in-between which adds to the realistic feeling overall of portraying reality accurately.
June 19, 2023
3.5/5
The beginning of this book is actually quite interesting. There's a lot of dynamics happening in the first few pages that actually kept me intrigued with this main character. The way he navigates with his child, his exish-wife, new relationships, his job, and his murky passion make for an interesting character plot. However, by the middle build, the self-inflicted problems of this main character becomes quite repetitive. Eventually, the main character becomes a bit too pathetic that you lose your desire to empathize with him. It was something that drove me away from really liking this book. Not to mention that the humor is only funny if you really try to laugh at it in some places. Not all the time, but 50/50. Yet, I did find this funny:
She says, "So are you one of those shame-filled writers?"
I say, "Is there any other kind?"
The beginning of this book is actually quite interesting. There's a lot of dynamics happening in the first few pages that actually kept me intrigued with this main character. The way he navigates with his child, his exish-wife, new relationships, his job, and his murky passion make for an interesting character plot. However, by the middle build, the self-inflicted problems of this main character becomes quite repetitive. Eventually, the main character becomes a bit too pathetic that you lose your desire to empathize with him. It was something that drove me away from really liking this book. Not to mention that the humor is only funny if you really try to laugh at it in some places. Not all the time, but 50/50. Yet, I did find this funny:
She says, "So are you one of those shame-filled writers?"
I say, "Is there any other kind?"
August 5, 2022
I picked up “I Only Cry with Emoticons” because I enjoyed the title and cover art, and I’m so glad I did! The book is a perfect mix of wit, humor, and depth, and it captures the uncertainty of today’s modern dating scene (for divorcees, at least). The beginning drew me in with an Office-Space-like description of working at a company focused on helping other companies collaborate; only their own collaboration needs some serious attention. Add in a mediocre novel, a heartwarming (smart!) kid, a failing marriage, and a new love interest, and you have an entertaining read that will keep your attention until the last page. This was a refreshing book that had a nice pace, and it didn’t try to do too much. I really enjoyed it!
January 2, 2024
Quirky book, with the main charter who is still trying to figure it all out. Grieving with a failed marriage, a job he’s not quite happy in, a book he’s been struggling to write after a decade. It’s him trying to balance all that while trying to be a good dad and jump back into the awkward dating scene. Felt real world - plus it was based in the town I live in and I thought it was fun to read about places I visit as well… the chapters with the quote on the top was humors I enjoyed reading those bits as well.
March 15, 2024
Hit or miss and so many gaps in the storyline. On the plus side, the hilarious high tech Dilbert-esque portrayal of corporate America. Another plus: Saul’s sweetness toward his son. On the negative side: how does Saul suddenly become a must-have member of the trap. Pretty hard to believe the sudden leap from toilet seat texter to employee of the month. Based on one honest comment? Not likely. Also not likely: his blind date would put up with him after multiple idiotic and unexplainable screw-ups. What was the attraction? Too many gaps and head-scratchers in this novel.
July 22, 2022
Through the main character, Saul, Yuvi Zalkow captures the complex emotions of divorce, sharing the raising of a child, dating, and the daily grind of a world consumed by technology.
With a deft balance of reflection and humour, Saul leads us through his angst-ridden world ultimately discovering what family, family history, and connection mean.
I think we can all relate to Saul. I highly recommend this book!
With a deft balance of reflection and humour, Saul leads us through his angst-ridden world ultimately discovering what family, family history, and connection mean.
I think we can all relate to Saul. I highly recommend this book!
February 26, 2023
“Relationships are pretty fucking complicated and if you think you know what’s going on, you’re either senile or a con artist or a drunk or a religious man or a soft scientist or a failed mathematician. Or all three.”
I loved this quirky little book about family and relationships, set in an overarching commentary about technology and our lives online. It felt poignant and relatable, while being laugh-out-loud funny. I loved it!
I loved this quirky little book about family and relationships, set in an overarching commentary about technology and our lives online. It felt poignant and relatable, while being laugh-out-loud funny. I loved it!
September 16, 2022
There were some funny parts and some quite touching sections involving the narrator's relationship with his son and his deceased mother, but overall, it felt stilted and predictable. The narrator was somewhat annoying and the dialogue between the characters felt slightly off. It's an ok book. 2.5 stars.
September 28, 2022
At first, I was eyerolling on this book. However, as I gave it time it gave back to me a real, honest story of a quiet, good man, his quirky maybe-girlfriend, a good soon to be ex-wife, a sweet boy and the struggles of today's world. I loved it. It's easy to read - do so.
August 30, 2025
I enjoyed this a lot. A well written novel about adult life and the myriad of complicated relationships that come with it. A realistic yet hopeful depiction of getting older and coming to terms with yourself and your past. Bonus points for Portland representation.
July 4, 2022
A beautiful book of raw, unapologetic humanity with a hefty splattering of humor.
August 2, 2022
This book had mega "This is fine" dog energy. However, it had a heart, which I found vulnerable and sweet.
Being a dad/husband/friend is complicated.
Being a dad/husband/friend is complicated.
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August 15, 2022DNF. 10%. If a comedy can't even get me to crack a smile in 30 minutes that's not a good sign.
August 24, 2022
3.75/5 for this one.
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October 13, 2022An unassuming story about a man living in real life.
January 1, 2023
One of my favorite books I’ve read in a while
March 8, 2023
I’m skeptical when people tell me a book made them actually laugh out loud while reading but, well, LOL. FR.
May 24, 2023
DNF @ 50%. Dull plot + boring writing that makes the characters near impossible to connect with or care for. My reading hours are limited these days - I wish I could have my time back.
September 12, 2023
teared up at the end
July 13, 2022
Yuvi Zalkow knows how to serve up just the right blend of funny and neurotic with being true and tender-hearted. I really came to love these characters. It was a real delight to spend time with them.
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