Looking for Heather Locklear

By Kyle Withers
HippoPress.com

"The Locklear Letters," by Michael Kun, MacAdam/Cage Publishing, 2003, 185 pages

Michael Kun's "The Locklear Letters" is a farcical novel that satirizes the American public's love affair with Hollywood stars. Presented in epistolary form, it offers the reader an insight into Sid Straw's anomalous life through a juxtaposition of serious letters with mundane and trivial notes. Although not fated for entrance into the canon of literary classics, "The Locklear Letters" is an original and humorous book. Its simplicity and brevity make the novel a quick and fluid read.

The main plot line revolves around Sid Straw's attempt to initiate a friendship with a former college classmate, Heather Locklear. Originally writing to Heather to request an autographed picture as a birthday present for his brother, Sid decides to make her his confidant. Through these letters, and his response to the lack of response from Locklear, Kun portrays the life and peculiar nature of Sid Straw. In addition to his letters to Heather, Sid's letters to his girlfriend, boss, and coworker develop his eccentricity. When the "Skylar Publishing Company" mistakenly sends books on sex to Sid at work, a series of events follows that leads to a sexual harassment charge and Sid's dismissal from his job. Perhaps the most humorous aspect of the novel is Sid's indignant letters to the mailroom for their repetitive mistakes in sending his mail to "Sam Haller in Development."

All considered, Michael Kun's "The Locklear Letters" is an ordinary but humorous book that is well worth the time it takes to read.

Kyle Withers can be reached at hippo@hippopress.com