Michael Kun's latest novel, "The Locklear Letters," offers an engaging, hilarious and vastly empathetic journey for its reader. Kun conveys his flawless narrative through a series of letters written by the protagonist, Sid Straw, to lawyers, bosses and family members, but primarily to Heather Locklear.
After reading "The Locklear Letters," I also had a chance to interview the author, a University of Virginia graduate and former Cavalier Daily senior writer. We discussed the thought process behind his novel, and how he selected Heather Locklear as the recipient of Sid's letters.
The story begins with Sid's brother's upcoming birthday.A perfect gift for his brother, according to Sid, would be an autographed picture of Heather Locklear. Luckily, Sid attended college with Locklear 20 years ago at UCLA, so obtaining a photograph should be simple. Of course, he and Locklear have not upheld a regular correspondence over the past two decades, but Sid is optimistic, and he knows that she will come through for him.
Things go awry, however, when Locklear does not seem to be responding to his letters. It turns out that her agent has been intercepting and returning all of Sid's notes. This infuriates Sid, and tensions quickly come to a boil. Soon lawyers, restraining orders and self-help books come into play. Instead of hiring an expensive lawyer to take on his case, Sid decides to order books that he hopes will teach him how to defend himself against these legal proceedings.Murphy's Law comes into play here when the book company accidentally sends explicit pornographic material addressed to Sid at his workplace.
The situations become worse and worse for Sid, and he eventually finds himself jobless, homeless and hopeless.The only thing that keeps him busy and sensible is his unrelenting need to write to his estranged collegiate friend, Locklear.
Kun writes "The Locklear Letters" in an epistolary format -- the novel is comprised entirely of letters. The reader witnesses every piece of correspondence that Sid writes over the course of the book. The reader, however, never has a chance to examine the letters that Sid receives from his family, friends and lawyers. The reader must infer from Sid's letters what these other characters in the novel have done or said.
The epistolary novel, extremely popular in 18th century literature, has until recently been largely unutilized in modern fiction. This novel, however, capitalizes on the advantages that such a form can bring to fiction. Kun believes that this "gives you a specific amount of intimacy that you wouldn't have otherwise. The writer of the letter paints a portrait of himself that he never intended to paint. A first person narrative, diary or journal, would not have been effective, because [Sid] could have shaped the narrative."
The epistolary format also allows Kun to maximize the humor in many situations. For example, in one letter to a lawyer, Sid tries to dismiss the restraining order by stating that he is closer to Cuba, living in Maryland, than he is to Los Angeles. As a result, Sid must send another letter to a CIA Agent justifying that he is not, in fact, a member of the Communist Party.
The choice of the recipients of Sid's letters was pivotal to the success of the novel.
"There were a couple of criteria: One, it had to be a celebrity that everyone knew. Two, it had to be someone that everybody liked. And three (the toughest one), it had to be a celebrity that the reader could imagine actually reaching out to help an old friend. I sent these criteria to about 20 of my friends, and a lot of them said Heather Locklear. We all seem to know her," he said.
And Kun is right; Locklear does project that "I'm famous but in a very friendly way" disposition. One truly believes, when reading this novel, that Locklear could and would help Sid Straw if needed. It is through Kun's brilliant use of letters that "The Locklear Letters" could possibly be mistaken for a work of nonfiction. The letters are all believable, the situations, while bizarre, are very plausible. Kun masterfully evokes a personality and an environment for Sid Straw, which is a quite remarkable feat when the only thing the reader sees are Sid's letters.
"Sid has a certain everyman quality to him. Some of his reactions are extreme, but there is an everyman quality that people respond to. They see a little of themselves or a little of their friends in Sid," Kun said.
Wanting to be reacquainted with old friends is a very natural and human response. Also, not a single person can deny feeling that "everything bad always happens to me." The audience laughs at Sid's situations because we, as readers, recognize his pain, frustration and anguish. We sympathize with his hardships, laugh at his mistakes, and ultimately cheer for his successes.
Michael Kun graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1988. He wrote his first work, "A Thousand Benjamins," as a second-year Law student here at the University. His background in law offers a new insight into "The Locklear Letters," which contains some unpleasant portrayals of lawyers and the law practice. Kun explains that "the lawyers take a beating in this book, but they deserve it. The legal profession has a terrible reputation, but we deserve it."
When asked about his experience at U.Va., Kun states that he "absolutely loved the University of Virginia. I could not have asked for a better experience. I'm becoming a cliche. They were the best times of my life, but it really is true."
All in all, "The Locklear Letters" offers a refreshing look at the modern novel. The reader no longer needs the immediate actions and speeches of other characters in order to picture a well-developed and multi-dimensional character and storyline. Kun allows the reader to identify with and truly care about the novel's central character, and that is one of the main strengths of Kun's work. Kun produces a delightful look at the world of popular culture and stardom, and then shows how the "everyman" can make a difference in it.
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