It's Too Late to Say I'm Sorry

by Joey Comeau

It's Too Late to Say I'm Sorry is a book of short stories by Joey comeau, released in North America by The Loose Teeth Press. The Stories Patricia (The Coast) The Math Building 1e4 (Eyeshot) This is Math Historians and Degenerates (Strange Horizons) The Machine (Strange Horizons) Red Delicious XXX (The Coast) One Foot Underwater The Birthday Girl The Underwear Model Giraffes and Everything Where are You Off to Now? (Terminus 1525) Cry Me a River

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Canada, Horror, Queer

158 pages, Trade paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Joey Comeau is a Canadian writer. He is best known for his novels Lockpick Pornography and Overqualified, and as co-creator of the webcomic A Softer World (with Emily Horne).

Comeau currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. He has a degree in linguistics.

Reviews

[lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

not only is this book full of some of the most compelling, original short stories that i've read, but the book itself is beautiful. the texture and color of the covers, the paper that the pages are printed on...

this book is a pure joy and i giggle out of delight everytime someone asks what i'm reading.

[phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joey Comeau is deeply deeply odd and disturbing. He is also a great writer. These stories are a bit like hitting yourself with a misshapen hammer and enjoying it.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the pieces I felt little to nothing for but there were a few that stuck out. Not so much to save the book, per se, but enough that I would be interested in seeing some of Comeau's other work if I hadn't already.

Any other book by him is amazing, just skip this one.

[Josh Logue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy! My first Goodreads review. That's pretty exciting. I promise to try and do a good job.

So but what's up with this book? It's good! Not my favorite of Comeau's work (that would be One Bloody Thing After Another), but it has all the qualities that make him such a good writer. It's funny, sad, weird, sexy. Also, not for nothing, but these short stories are short! We're not talking Keret short, but short and easy reading.

Overall, thumbs all around. Thumbs to the author and his book. Excited for whatever he writes next.

[CJ Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this as a part of the Kickstarter that came with the wrap up of A Softer World. I'd never read any of his fiction before, and now I'm looking into fixing that. These are several short fiction pieces, some weird, some sparse, some confusing, some evocative. A lot of the stories leave you to fill in the holes he's written around, leave you to yourself to marinate in your own thoughts, and do not hold your hand. You can definitely feel the echoes, the thematic similarities to ASW.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting skimming back through to remember the titles of my favorite short stories to include here, then realized I was including three-fourths of them. STILL, ones that stuck with me the most are The Machine, The Underwear Model, Where Are You Off To Now?, and Patricia. My favorite one was One Foot Underwater, an especially great, sad bit of surreal horror with intimate family drama (def feels like a predecessor to One Bloody Thing After Another)

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extremely cute short story collection that reads perfectly like the kind of mid-00's e-twee bullhockey that I shoveled into my gullet right around the time that I was enjoying A Softer World.

The fact that I'm a sucker for that shit shouldn't detract from how honestly well-written it is. I felt like I had become 16 again, but in drastic contrast to the first time I was actually enjoying being alive.

[Alanna Why · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am upset with myself that I feel as indifferent about this as I do, especially when a friend lent it to me with the preamble of how it was an extremely important/meaningful book to her as a teenager. Sorry Adella!

[Mina Villalobos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories, each of them has something that moves you, a piece of human nature that you maybe would like to not remember exists, or a piece of human nature that makes you wish you had called your grandma -or, like me, wish you were downstairs listening to your dad tell stories while you still have a chance, except he's mocking gays and feminists and that's why you aren't downstairs in the first place- but either way, it's gonna be something in each story that touches you, a wild, angry part of you, or a scared, hopeful, loving part of you, but a part of you nonetheless.

The horror stories are superb, creepy and scary in their closeness to us as people, when zombies love you or ghosts haunt you while indistinguishable creatures float in the darkness of space.

I really enjoyed it. I wish dad would stop talking trash so I could go downstairs.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've owned this book since it came out. I remember the package I received from Joey containing the book and a small zine with six of his dirty stories. I was fourteen or fifteen at the time.

Just last week I was laying in bed reading this book out loud to a girl I'm simply crazy about. It was my fifth or sixth time through these short stories, but they always read fresh. There are so many sides of Joey's writing in this collection. The personal, the horror, the comedic, the sexual. It's perfect. And I always seem to forget about the last story, "Cry Me a River," which is relevant as it's a story about memory, and every time it leaves me crying.

[Matthew Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The early works of Mister Joey Comeau! What I like about Joey, and this book, is his unconventionality. He's capable of something mainstream, and maybe one day he will do that. But, for now, he lurks on the fringe with diverse tales, some sexy, some horror-ified, some sweet, some weird. He dares to be different, but it's a talented different.

Not all of these stories are for everyone. They're not clear-cut and there seems to be gallons of unexplained subtext. That's OK for me. Finally, I thought this collection was beautifully produced by The Loose Teeth Press; it's a nice one to hold.

[Cubby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore A Softer World, Overqualified, Math Porn, and even (especially) Joey's e-mail updates; so know that I adore him already.

This book is far from perfect. It lacks the easy grace that he has achieved in other endevors, but is just as potent and raw as said projects. I fould myself on the verge of tears and/or laughter in public readign this book.

I look forward to readign everythign i can find of his, and watching him grow into the powerhouse he is sure to be.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am fortunate enough to know Mike, the owner of Loose Tooth, and he shared this with me after I let him know of my like for Robert Heinlein. The subtle science fiction/alternate present/future of these stories definitely hits on my interest and the stories themselves are both interesting, haunting and beautiful in ways I didn't think I would be drawn to. They are heavy at times, and light at others, and I really enjoyed this book. Thanks Mike, and excellent writing Joey.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joey Comeau's collection is strange to read. The short stories are not connected, though sometimes they seem like they are. My favorite story is "The Birthday Girl" about a girl whose Grandmother kills her whole family on her birthday. The ending of this story is my favorite, because of the twist. I can't tell you what that is, but I'd like to surprise my readers in the same way this story surprised me.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but some of the short stories were too short. I felt gypped. Like I went on a really good date with someone who never called again.

The longer stories, especially the ones that delved into horror, were excellent.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I bought this book because I love Joey Comeau's web comic and Overqualified webzine but I only liked about two of the stories in here. The most redeeming thing about the book though is the way it is bound...you can tell it was published by a small press and I like that little D.I.Y. pizzazz.

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

My brother lent this to me recently. It's light and fun and varied and short. I hear it's also available online for free. From kinky math sex to centarian zombie grandmothers and beyond, it was a nice distraction from things I probably should have actually been doing.

[Rowena · Rating 3 out of 5]

hit or miss stories. "red delicious" is still my favorite. "1e4" is good, "this is math". "the machine" and "cry me a river" were interesting. the rest weren't very compelling, or something. i don't think i like his style as much as i used to.

[Griffin Peralta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original, imaginative...
The worlds created by the author are engrossing and just obscene enough to be really thrilling.
I look forward to reading this again, when the surprise in each story might be new again.

[Underwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful. It is a collectino of short stories and you will love it. Buy this book from Joey Comeau.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

i loved lockpick pornography, and wished that these stories, even one of them, were good. i love short stories, but i just wasnt into these. the production of the book is nice though.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Some good ideas and fun stories, but ultimately very young and overly pretentious. Don't bother.

[Ray (user2637) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joey's stories (and comics) are a delight.
http://www.asofterworld.com/

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a short story version of his comic strip writing with Emily's photos on www.asofterworld.com. So if you like the dark, twisted humor of Softer World, you may like this.

[Au · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Comeau, but this work seemed to be quite early and less evolved than his more recent work.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second half was stronger than first. Loved "the birthday girl" and my favorite was "where are you off to now?"

[Chris Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories (some of them very short), all of them very unique. Often disturbing, always very human and honest--refreshingly so.

[ruthgrace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange, but in a very human way.

[Hamengku · Rating 2 out of 5]

Joey Comeau's is strange to read.
The short stories are not connected, though sometimes they seem like they are, but i can take time :0 Bagus

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love Joey Comeau's raw and tender humanity.