You Poor Monster

Young Baltimore attorney Hamilton "Ham" Ashe is a man torn between fact and friendship. His neighbour, pal, and client, Sam Shoogey is a former war hero, college football star, professional boxer, and novelist. Or is he? What Hamilton does know is that he is inexplicably drawn to the charming and gregarious raconteur who makes his life hell -- but at least worth living. Representing Shoogey in a nasty divorce case, Ham allows himself to be sucked into his client's wild claims and adventures, much to the consternation of his wife. As more and more of Shoogey's anecdotes unravel and become either delusion or fabrication, however, Ham is faced with the question, "Is a lie a lie if you know it's untrue, or is it just a story?" With endnotes that may belie everything the reader assumes, Michael Kun deftly plays with the form and function of literature to weave two stories together and tell an innovative tale with a delicate balance of humour and tragedy.