I Only Cry with Emoticons

Saul can’t stop messing up his life, but you can’t help but love him for being the sad, funny, awkward, self-deprecating mess he is. With endless wit and quirky charm, Yuvi Zalkow examines the myriad ways we lose touch with our lives and with each other, and the ways we fumblingly inch our way back. I Only Cry with Emoticons is the perfect fun read for all of us other awkward, anxiety-ridden, dis- and misconnected messes in this mess of a world. Recommended By Gigi L., Powells.com

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"Comic but still tender....I Only Cry with Emoticons masterfully captures both the anxiety and hope of our modern lives." —BuzzFeed

Saul doesn't get why he's misunderstood. At his high-tech day job, he hides in the bathroom writing a novel about his dead grandfather and wonders why his boss wants to fire him. He tells his almost ex-wife about a blind date and wonders why she slams the door in his face. He aches with worry for his seven-year-old son, who seems happier living with his mom and her new man.

When the blind date becomes a complicated relationship, and Saul's blunders at work threaten the survival of the company, Saul has to wake up and confront his fears.

I Only Cry with Emoticons is a quirky comedy that reveals the cost of being disconnected — even when we're using a dozen apps on our devices to communicate — and an awkward man's search for real connections, on and offline.

"A refreshingly zany story about the pitfalls of modern technology and the importance of chasing dreams." Kirkus Reviews

"Explores the ordinary ways our lives can go terribly wrong despite our best intentions. In their often-hilarious attempts to find common ground, Zalkow's characters navigate self-sabotage, second chances, and the complicated fluid definition of family in the twenty-first century." Margaret Malone, author of People Like You (winner of the Balcones Fiction Prize and a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award)

"A sly, forthright comedy about the intersection of love and technology, men and women, and the way our devices have become a loud third wheel. I couldn't put it down." Monica Drake, author of Clown Girl and The Stud Book

Yuvi Zalkow is the author of the novel, A Brilliant Novel in the Works (MP Publishing 2012). His short stories have been published in Glimmer Train, Narrative Magazine, Carve Magazine, Rosebud, The Los Angeles Review, and others. He received an MFA from Antioch University. Yuvi also uses his poor drawing skills to make YouTube videos and mobile apps that ooze with his worries and anxiety. You can find out too much information about him at yuvizalkow.com. Yuvi lives with his wife, daughter, and grumpy cats in Portland, Oregon.