Miles Kington (1941–2008)

The title just about says it all for this little book. It’s humourous and to the point. I knew that the author had been diagnosed with terminal cancer before reading it and I knew that the book would be funny. What I didn’t know was how graceful and courageously presented it would be.

How Shall I Tell the Dog is comprised of fictitious letters written to the author’s agent, Gill. These letters consist of ideas for another last book, which ironically (or intentionally) this book turned show more out to be. Every chapter is filled with funny and sometimes subtle observations about life and death and how people deal with both. From the chapter entitled The Way You Look:

“Dear Gill,

Has anyone ever written a book called something like ‘The Way You Think You Look, and The Way You Really Look’?

It might be subtitled something like ‘How things got that way, and what you can do about it’.”

This book is filled with sly wit and humourous characterizations.
The bit of research I did on the author told me that was his usual style. He was a writer for the now defunct Punch magazine and then went on to work at the British newspaper Independent for many years. It was while there that he learned of his cancer and where his daily column was still published right up until the day he died. Despite that, this is not a sad book by any means. For all that it deals with a serious topic, this book is a nice, funny and uplifting read. show less

I borrowed this from the library because I have really enjoyed Miles Kington's other book. But I wasn't optimistic that a book about dying from cancer could be funny. In fact though, I really enjoyed it - laugh-out-loud funny in places, genuinely moving in others. I may have to buy my own copy.

I was scheduled to review "How Shall I Tell the Dog" early last year. My copy went missing so I am reviewing this book from the Kindle edition.
While it is true that there is nothing funny about having cancer and it is also true that pancreatic cancer is, indeed, "a nasty one" as Kington's oncologist points out, it is also, also true that Kington was a humorist. He did what many humorists do and gave us a funny, touching and real account of his life - knowing that he would die and knowing show more that his death would be soon, however unimaginable that image was.
If ever there was a time and place for black humor, this is it and Kington came through admirably. Kington skewers the "self-help" genre perfectly. He is not unkind -merely brilliantly on target.
I wish he'd got to read Barbara Ehrenreich's new book, "Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America". I wish he'd gotten to read a lot more things and had years to read them.
I recommend this book for many reasons. Obviously, its humor but also its serious look at how we look at (or don't) those who are very ill, how we talk with them - things we are afraid to say. He also does a take on our less deadly (sorry) cultural scene and
it is worth the price of the book - or Kindle edition - 9.99.
Now that I have finished my review I am going off to Yodel in memory of Miles Kington. show less

Dear Miles,

I've just finished reading the book. It's tricky, you know, reviewing something like this. One wants to be as objective as possible; and yet, at the same time — well, it's *cancer*, isn't it? Handing a bad review to an author who died before his book about his impending death was published would seem somehow callous or coldhearted.

Fortunately, this isn't a bad review. It was a good read and, overall, I think the approach worked. I have to admit that I didn't know you before show more this. I haven't read any of your other books, so I came into this one without any expectations. And, honestly, I wasn't sure at first: your approach seemed perhaps too lighthearted, too obviously ducking the real issues. Not honest. But I changed my mind along the way. Maybe this was the real you and really how you handled your illness. I admire that. It's not a bad way: writing to an old friend, remembering the good times, admitting to the occasional moments of fear and doubt, saying a gentle goodbye ... and spreading plenty of lunacy along the way. I hope that I'll be able to do the same if I ever find myself in your position.

Thanks for the thoughts and laughs. Best of luck to you.

Matt show less