Fan Mail: A Guide to What We Love, Loathe, and Mourn

Jason Guriel’s new book is the methodical work of a true fan. Fan Mail (Véhicule), is a series of essays divided into three sections: “Love,” “Loathe” and “Mourn,” which, Guriel explains, are the fan’s three primary experiences. In “Love,” Guriel delineates what he enjoys about works such as Brian De Palma’s thriller Dressed to Kill—problematic yet daring, in his view—and why he is a self proclaimed “super fan” of Orson Welles’ niche Christmas movie, Mr. Arkadin. In “Loathe,” Guriel’s most memorable dispatch is “Bob Dylan’s Nobel Peace Prize” where he hilariously argues that the honour was undeserved. The last section, “Mourn,” is significantly shorter than the previous two. In it, Guriel succinctly eulogizes figures he admired, like his former boss, the late poet and scholar Rishma Dunlop. “Mourn” invites readers to see ...