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Postcards from a Dead Girl

by Kirk Farber (Goodreads Author)

3.21 of 5 stars 3.21 · rating details · 366 ratings · 80 reviews

Sid is going crazy . . .

A telemarketer at a travel agency, Sid is becoming unhinged and superneurotic. Lately he's been obsessed with car washes and mud baths. His hypochondria is driving his doctor sister mad. And it's all because of his ex-girlfriend, Zoe, who's sending him postcards from her European adventure, one that they were supposed to take together. It's all quit...more

Paperback, 272 pages

Published February 16th 2010 by Harper Perennial

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Aug 20, 2012 Madame X rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In POSTCARDS FROM A DEAD GIRL the protagonist, Sid, has two dead women in his life – he thinks he’s receiving postcards from his dead girlfriend Zoe, for one, but he also thinks that the spirit of his dead mother is trapped in a 40-year-old bottle of Bordeaux that he keeps in his basement. The reader doesn’t learn how Zoe died until the very end of the novel, when it’s revealed that she was in the passenger seat of a car Sid was driving when it crashed – Sid lived and Zoe died.

As the postcards...more In POSTCARDS FROM A DEAD GIRL the protagonist, Sid, has two dead women in his life – he thinks he’s receiving postcards from his dead girlfriend Zoe, for one, but he also thinks that the spirit of his dead mother is trapped in a 40-year-old bottle of Bordeaux that he keeps in his basement. The reader doesn’t learn how Zoe died until the very end of the novel, when it’s revealed that she was in the passenger seat of a car Sid was driving when it crashed – Sid lived and Zoe died.

As the postcards keep coming, Sid decides that if he follows them to their sources, he might find Zoe herself – even though all the postcards are dated from a year ago. First he visits a mechanic in New Jersey, explaining that his girlfriend is “missing” and asking if she’s been seen, but has no luck. Next Sid visits London, Paris, and Barcelona – in each city he visits post offices, but post office officials can’t tell him much: they explain that various mishaps might delay the arrival of a postcard for up to a year, and suggest possible scenarios, but have nothing more to add.

Back at home, Sid makes misguided attempts to get his life back on track. Too many scenes are set at Sid’s dead-end job selling package vacations at a travel agency. He gets a CAT scan, at his sister’s encouragement, to make sure his brain is functioning properly (it is). He goes out with one girl who turns out to be horrible, and develops a crush on another. He tries yoga, and gets a mud bath at a local spa. Sid enjoys the spa mud bath so much he tries digging a hole in his backyard to duplicate it, eventually producing a ragged pit full of muck whose consistency, at least, reminds him of the spa.

Eventually, Sid has a confrontation with his sister, who demands that he face facts: his girlfriend is dead, she’s not coming back, and Sid can’t keep ruining his life in endless, doomed attempts to reach her. This wake-up call brings Sid back to the present, and he gets his life back together: he drinks the bottle of Bordeaux containing his mother’s spirit, setting it free, he connects solidly with the girl he has a crush on, and he quits his job at the travel agency.

The writing here is average – Sid’s inner monologue runs to banal thoughts like, “I’ve been watching sunsets lately, to see what the big deal is. As a rule, I like them.” We meet Zoe through flashbacks, and she’s not appealing – she needs constant affirmations of affection from Sid, and her individual quirks are limited to doctoring candid photos and pretending to speak Chinese.

The agent says that this book is “like a Wes Anderson movie” but I don’t see the resemblance. Simply put, POSTCARDS FROM A DEAD GIRL is boring.(less)

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Sep 30, 2011 Sasha Martinez added it

Shelves: books-read-in-2010

It’s the story of Sid Higgins–quirky and awkward and funny and sad and witty and slightly off-kilter Sid Higgins–who starts getting, well, postcards from Zoe, his dead (?) girlfriend. [There's a question mark there, because as the story moves forward, there are several arguments (most in Sid's head) about the dubiousness of Zoe's death. Sometimes, she's just lost. Sometimes, she'd just walked away.] Add to the mix a loving yet bossy sister, a slew of post office workers, Sid’s mother haunting a...more It’s the story of Sid Higgins–quirky and awkward and funny and sad and witty and slightly off-kilter Sid Higgins–who starts getting, well, postcards from Zoe, his dead (?) girlfriend. [There's a question mark there, because as the story moves forward, there are several arguments (most in Sid's head) about the dubiousness of Zoe's death. Sometimes, she's just lost. Sometimes, she'd just walked away.] Add to the mix a loving yet bossy sister, a slew of post office workers, Sid’s mother haunting a bottle of 1967 Bordeux, and the incredibly patient dog Zero (who, at times, seems to be the only one who bears with our pal Sid’s eccentricities). Oh, and Sid is a telemarketer for a travel agency (and I don’t get a lot of telemarketers, so that’s not a mark against him heh), and his boss is just nuts. All that together makes this debut novel a wonderful book, it really really really is.

Sid’s story spans over seventy very short chapters, and I think these bite-sized servings are perfect for Sid’s voice. They aren’t pretentious-short (because, trust me, the world abounds with those), and they aren’t too abrupt. Instead, they’re episodic, or like scenes from a movie. (Think Woody Allen at his most contemporary hip, with some echoes of 500 Days of Summer.) There’s an indie-film-ish quality to the book—dark humor, some absurdity—some parts shot with a hazy backlight, some with grainy film. Look at the scenes: Sid in a conversation with his dog Zero; Sid talks to his dead mother (who is in that aforementioned bottle of Bordeaux); Sid rides his car through a car wash; Sid dips himself in a mudholebath he made in his backyard; Sid looks at the interior of a CAT scan and feels cozy (and later, telling Zero that it wasn’t “that kind of cat”). All the while, thinking about his Zoe (and her scent, Blue Zoe Bliss), those postcards.

This was about Sid, and how he’s trying (and fumbling) to restore his life after many tragedies. There’s such a deep sensitivity to Sid’s observations, as well as quirkiness—his sister’s phone number is in the shape of half a house when dialed, road dividers go dashdashdash in your peripheral vision when you drive by (this might seem obvious to ye—but Sid makes it sounds so lyrical, so heartbreaking). And I was giggling. Sid Higgins made me giggle. Right before he socked me between the eyes with a well-uttered observation.

It was all so quirky and so spot-on, and I loved how it all came together to build up not only the story, but Sid as a person, as a character, a voice. And that’s what I loved most about this book–Sid’s voice. I keep going on and on about it, and it’s really what ties this book together, makes the novel such a treat. Sid’s is an inner dialogue that draws you in and compels you to read. He makes you laugh, he makes you go What now?, he makes you smile that odd smile one gets when torn between grinning very broadly and crying just a bit.

These are odd times that Sid chronicles, and I’m glad I’m with him for the ride–because, really, we need voices in our head to tell us that as absurd as things tend to seem, as heartbreaking as they actually are, there’s always something out there that will make us breathless, make us realize that the world doesn’t have to be a terrible place. Take Sid’s cue: you can self-deprecatingly snigger about it, and then descend into that mudholebath.

I wish Sid Higgins well. I also vote Zero for Best Fictional Dog Evahr, and Gerald the Post Office Guy for Best Underground Lair Owner.

Postcards from a Dead Girl is an incredibly beautiful book, and many thanks to the Universe for flinging it in my direction, and, of course, to Kirk Farber for writing it. I am at the edge of my seat, waiting for your second book.(less)

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Apr 03, 2011 Katie Parker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, new-releases

I’ll admit, I decided to read this solely because Marc Johns did the book cover. Anything he collaborates on has to be awesome, right? Well, in this case, that turned out to be true.

The book is about a guy named Sid, who works as a telemarketer for Wanderlust, a travel agency where his overly enthusiastic boss drives him crazy. He lives alone in his childhood home with his dog Zero and constantly calls his sister Natalie, a doctor, to tell her that he thinks he has a brain tumor. In fact, he’s s...more

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Nov 11, 2010 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I facilitate a bookclub at a public library. This wonderful book caused quite a stir with the group. The story is simple enough, once you finish the book that is. Sid, a damaged vacation telemarketer, is receiving postcards from Zoe. Zoe, his one time love, now absent in an unexplained way. Sid can't reach her but she reaches him with regular postcards from all around the world. Postcards all postmarked one year earlier. Who is sending the postcards, why won't Zoe answer her phone, who is the li...more

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Sep 27, 2010 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an entertaining read by a first-time author who is actually a colleague of mine at PPLD. Kirk is pretty understated in real life, although quite engaging, and that is exactly how I would characterize this book about a guy named Sid. Sid relaxes by taking himself and his car through the carwash again and again, sometimes with his dog, and by sprawling in the mud in his homemade spa in the backyard. I suffered with Sid and all of his humiliations; talking himself out of and into peace of m...more

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Apr 24, 2010 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

At least it was quick read. Sid was slowly going crazy, and he started to drag me down that slippery slope with him.

The story was quirky, and at times amusing, but mostly it was unnerving. The reader is the sole person who has visibility to the depth of Sid's neurosis, and it seems as though there's no end in sight. He thinks Natalie wants to have him committed. I think it probably would have been a very good idea, early on.

The presence of his mom was an unexpected surprise, and one that I rathe...more

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Feb 19, 2010 Ron Heimbecher rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed-books

In a very unusual way, it's fortunate that I've been ill for a few days. My to-read stack is at least a couple of dozen, and has been for months. I left my house for a few hours on Wednesday to see Kirk's launch signing at the venerable Tattered Cover in Lodo. (When I worked with the Denver International Film Festival, directors, writers, and actors from around the world wanted to visit the Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek.)

I brought the freshly signed copy home and started upstairs to put it on t...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Jessi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: colorado-author, contemporary-fiction

Summary: A telemarketer at a travel agency, Sid is becoming unhinged and superneurotic. His hypochondria is driving his doctor sister mad. And it's all because his ex-girlfriend, Zoe, who's sending him postcards from her European adventure, one that they were supposed to take together. Sid needs to get over Zoe and find love again--even though Zoe, apparently, has no inclination to be gotten over.--From publisher's description.

First Line: The postcard is everything, but looks like nothing.

I felt...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, read2011

I picked this up when iBooks put some titles on sale for 99cents, and I'm glad I did! This was a quick read, but I was never quite sure I knew if the main character, Sid, was crazy or if the world around him was. (That question gets answered around the time he starts playing in the mud, really). His girlfriend is dead, and so are his parents, and he is working a telemarketing job, which would make anyone insane.

The older sister reminds me so much of the older sister character on Wilifred, down...more

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Mar 09, 2010 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-reviewers-copy, fiction

Thanks to HarperPerennial for sending me this review copy of "Postcards From a Dead Girl" by Kirk Farber.

I was not really sure what to think when I first saw the cover of this novel - with it's lone man standing in an apartment window watching postcards rain down from the sky. But after reading the first few paragraphs, I knew I had a great little book in my hands.

I'm a sucker for a fucked up lead guy. And oh boy is Sid fucked up. Here's his deal: He currently works as a telemarketer for a trave...more

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Mar 01, 2010 Laura Stone Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

This quirky story of difficulty in dealing with the end of a relationship reminded me of several young adult books. I suppose it's just the age of the protagonist that makes it an adult book. Disconsolate Sid Higgins is an endearing dysfunctional character we want to root for, and the mystery of the postcards will make for cult discussion groups. Good fun.
Similar YA books:
Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You - character’s troubled soul
Marcelo in the Real World – protagonist’s inability to dea...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Kaleb rated it 4 of 5 stars

so we have this guy Sid who has seemingly lost 'it' - who else buys ten credits at the local automatic car wash (at $4.50 a round) and uses as many as they can before another patron comes along.. hello? and his missing ex sounds like a mess in her own right: "I'm cute.. you would miss me if I were dead", she said - at least once. and then there are the postcards that keep arriving, from all over the globe (Hoboken, Nice, Lyon..) - all postmarked from a year past - from the ex: Zoe.

someone is fu...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sid works as a telemarketer at a travel agency. His life gets turned upside down when he starts receiving postcards from his girlfriend, Zoe. Sid receives about a dozen. The postcards range from Amsterdam to Paris. Zoe doesn’t say much on the postcards other than the standard “Have a good time, wish you were here”. So now you would wonder, how can postcards cause so much uproar? It is because Zoe is dead! What does Zoe want from Sid? Sid decides to follow the trail of postcards from all over Eur...more

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Mar 15, 2010 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sydney had a wonderful and beautiful girlfriend (who after many chapters we find out she’s dead) who is sending him postcards from around the world documenting her worldly adventures she wanted to have without him. Sydney is stuck in a lame job that he gets nothing out of and spends his time thinking of Zoe (the girl). I read the whole book. I kept reading to find out if he had lost his mind and he was maybe sending himself the postcards. I didn’t read all of it because it was thought provoking...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Dawn Berkbigler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book. Happenstance led me to this book when I went to a library I had not been in, ever. With this first visit brought a delightful book which I finished in less than 24 hours. It must have entered my life at the right moment because I connected with Sid and felt that his experience was mine, as well. Good timing. I won't give the synopsis but will say the conflicting realities and perceptions are often over-lapped and one can't tell the difference between the two. People are wacky an...more

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May 17, 2011 Tatiana Campos rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don’t really know what to say about this book because I was left scratching my head towards the end…But basically, Sid (the main character) is crazy. He’s a bit whiny, and self-centered, and at times I found him very unlikable.

The humor in this book is tiny bit dark I suppose, but at the same time…not. It’s really hard to explain this story, it’s very odd, and original.

I don’t know if I’ll be re-reading this or not…If I do it’ll be to see if the second go around will make more sense of the end...more

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Aug 18, 2011 T. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Postcards from a Dead Girl showed a lot of promise based on the conceit of the novel. Unfortunately, it can't live up to those expectations. There isn't quite an interesting enough of a plot to work as a good genre novel, and Sid, the main character, just isn't interesting enough to feel like good literary fiction. What you get is something that feels like a little bit of both that doesn't quite go far enough. Honestly, it's an average book that didn't really captivate me, but didn't annoy me en...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Megan F rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: love-stories

Sometimes I found Sid to be really funny. Most of the time I found that I didn't actually know all that much about him. What was his room like? Why didn't he have any friends? The last one I was especially caught up on. There were literally zero mentions of friends ever. I found this troubling and it made him a much less likeable character, and considering how irresponsible he was over most things, I was mostly irritated with him.

Also, the timeline in this book just wasn't clear enough for me....more

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Mar 04, 2011 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

How often do you get to read quirky stories about people inured in their own inner stories...written by people you know?

Kirk's story is just fun, and though the narrative is very punchy that sometimes makes the whole thing feel like the set up for a joke (didja hear the one about the guy who couldn't get enough of car washes?), it is tinged with a realistic sadness that is driving the protagonist character (Sid) to distraction, and morbid distraction at that.

And besides, Kirk's a great guy. Go r...more

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Oct 19, 2010 Katy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reading this book made me sad. Sid was sad, and it was painful to know how troubled he was, that he had some fairly serious mental and emotional problems, and that while he was aware of his problems, he was reluctant to seek help that he very badly needed.

But reading this book also made me sad for myself. If Sid, who is somewhat emotionally and socially crippled, has the propensity to attract women and have relationships with them, why is it that I have so much difficulty dating? Interestingly,...more

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Mar 15, 2010 Gretchen Paulson rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was an easy read. The chapters are short (and they all start on the right hand page, I dig this) and this makes the book read faster. The book starts out with Sid having some mental issues and it seems like it took awhile to get to the reason why and why he was doing what he was doing. The book kept you guessing as to what had actually happened to him to make him act the way he is. I felt that this book was well written and would look for another book by Kirk Farber.

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Apr 03, 2010 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

This story was quirky and cute. The main character brings a whole new meaning to the term "neurotic" (he tries to build a mud spa in his back yard, for example). The story is well written and enjoyable, even a little dark. Not every mystery is explained, which is a bit frustrating, but I think also part of the point. The characters are realistic and interesting, including the dog, Zero. I really look forward to reading other works by Farber.

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Sep 15, 2010 Scott Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't often read "literary fiction." And I admit I encountered this novel as an assignment. I read it as fast as I could after stopping though. Farber writes in a unique, postcardesque modular style, snapping vignettes from the life of the narrator. The voice is so strong, and the black humor so effective that I enjoyed this novel despite a narrator whose actions weren't always sympathetic but never failed to be entertaining.

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Sep 13, 2011 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-5000

Kirk Farber has written a crazy little mystery surrounding, as the title states, postcards from a dead girl. But questions abound throughout the novel. Is she really dead? Are the postcards really from her? Is Sid, the main character, just bat-ass crazy?

Floating along on a sea of detached thoughts, Sid barely makes it through his days. Farber's use of short chapters and detached imagery establishes Sid's own thought processes. Sid tries to not think too much about any one thing and his thoughts...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Aaron Ritchey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kirk Farber's Postcards from a Dead Girl felt like the novelization of a great independent movie. Quirky, suprising, moving, I can see why this novel won the Colorado Book Award. I loved the voice of the book, the writing was simple, yet elegant, and the characters very real. Being human is hard, and the grief we feel can overwhelm us, but sometimes it's the simple reminders of how good life can be that keep us going.

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Aug 26, 2010 Marie Mengel rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book flowed in the direction that I thought it would--didn't have any surprises. Very short chpaters which made it easy to read but too easy to lay stop quickly and lay the book down for awhile. I did think it was truthful in interpreting a person who went thorugh a traumatic experience. It was interesting how the character would perceive things, hear things, and react to things that may not necessarily be actually happening in reality. I thought there was truth in that.

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Oct 07, 2010 Jennie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Really, really different. I love the title and the idea behind this story but it never really happened for me. I kept waiting for some action, or to like the narrator better, but it just got stranger and stranger. I gave it to a friend of mine who is less patient and after giving up dumped it off in an airport. Maybe it will work for someone else.

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Dec 29, 2010 nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

I'm a softie for stories of eccentric boys with deep-seeded angst, so this book hit the spot. It was a quick read for me, and although I sort of saw where it was headed, I still winced when it got there. I'd recommend to a certain story of love story person - the Lars and the Real Girl, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind sort.

E-read.

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Mar 16, 2010 Robert Vaughan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this fresh, breezy, quirky book. Sid is infectious as protagonist who cannot resolve the pain of his missing (?) girlfriend, Zoe. The novel has quick-read chapters and I felt like I couldn't put it down. Great first effort from a young novelist. Can't wait to read more of his work.

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Feb 08, 2010 Deanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this book through goodreads first-reads. I really enjoyed the book. It was a fast read, but had some complexity. You follow Sid throughout the book, and every time you think you know him, you find a twist. The more the read the more you feel for Sid and his quirks. I will read more of Kirk Farber's books, I like his style.

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About Kirk Farber

Kirk Farber's first novel, POSTCARDS FROM A DEAD GIRL, was published by Harper Perennial.

*Indie Next Selection
*Colorado Book Award Winner

"A witty, tormented hero surrounded by fascinating, compassionate supporting characters makes this slender debut a surprisingly compulsive read."
- Kirkus Reviews

"Kirk Farber's voice is riddled with irreverence and dark humor; his tone is laugh-out-loud funny one...more

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“...so much has been laid on the sunset—heavy-handed metaphors, sentimental music. Everyone’s always walking into them, and that is some very intense light. Maybe that’s where the term “love is blind” comes from, because so many people are walking into sunsets, burning out their corneas.” — 1 person liked it

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