200 Characters

By: Penny Modra
Date: 22nd Aug 07
Ambience: Indoor
Difficulty: Won't hurt a bit

What:
200 Characters – A day in the life of the Short Message Service

Where:
All Readings stores
Metropolis Books, Lvl 3 Curtin House, 252 Swanston St, Melbourne
Greville Street Bookstore, 145 Greville St, Prahran

When:
Released on 30 August

How much:
RRP $12.95

You know they’re out there. Regrettable text messages that you have sent. Asking for money, divorcing your Malaysian spouse, accusing your friends of being dirty bitches, using apostrophes incorrectly, all that stuff. Well your greatest fears will probably be realised next week at the launch of 200 Characters – A day in the life of the Short Message Service, a collection of 200 text messages from the inboxes of strangers around the world.

It’s cool, don’t freak out and start texting your lawyer, these messages are much better than the SMS detritus of your sad life. Chekhov would have given up his newspaper column for a narrative touchas nimble as this:

#77
From: Anna
To: Simone
2:07pm
guys? hey guys?
my mom says i’m cool

#50
From: Becky
To: Anthea
11.30am
Just got you the round
grass mat for three bucks.
This is exhilarating.

#159
From: Lester
To: Chris
8.59pm
Hostage situation at Sunhill

It’s edited by Pip Carroll of Ambiguous Horse (you might know her as the recent mastermind of ‘There’s a Hole in My Bucket’) and designed by the type-obsessed Elizabeth Carey Smith. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll look at your thumbs with new respect.