In the Author’s Note for I See You’ve Called in Dead, John Kenney reveals that the novel’s central premise was born from a moment of dark humor shared with his dying brother, Tom. A firefighter who worked at the World Trade Center after 9/11, Tom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, an illness with a five-year survival rate of approximately 13%, according to the American Cancer Society (“Survival Rates for Pancreatic Cancer.” American Cancer Society). During Kenney’s final visit, as other family members arrived, his brother joked that Kenney should “[t]ell them they’re too late” (291).

This blend of levity and tragedy became the emotional core of the novel, grounding Bud Stanley’s fictional journey in the author’s real experience and exploring how humor can function as a useful coping mechanism in the face of profound loss. Psychological research, including studies reported by the Mayo Clinic, often highlights humor’s role in relieving stress and fostering resilience. Laughter, in particular, has been shown to simultaneously decrease levels of stress hormones like cortisol and increase levels of oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins—hormones associated with pleasure and social bonding (Gregory, Sara Youngblood. “The Health Benefits of Humor.” Healthy Aging, The Mayo Clinic Press, 28 Mar. 2024). The latter is particularly relevant to the novel, which shows Bud grappling with The Search for Authentic Human Connection amid divorce and loneliness. The narrative structure underscores humor’s centrality to healing: Bud’s accidental publication of his own obituary, an absurd act, occurs at a moment of deep despair yet becomes a catalyst for connection and self-reflection.

At the same time, research suggests a distinction between “healthy” and “unhealthy” uses of humor, both broadly and in times of acute stress. For instance, a joke that pokes fun at the absurdity of a situation can function as a form of “positive reappraisal” that makes challenges seem more manageable. By contrast, humor that undermines one’s own self-esteem, or that of others, can become a maladaptive coping mechanism (Pistoia, Jared C. “Humor as a Coping Mechanism.” PsychCentral, 28 Jun. 2022). The novel shows Bud gradually shifting from the latter style of humor to the former as those around him point out his reliance on barbed sarcasm to avoid vulnerability. As the novel closes, jokes remain central to Bud’s interactions with others, but they increasingly serve to solidify bonds rather than undercut them.