Chrissy vs. The Problem Drinker

Canadian Correspondent Chrissy got to read Kyle Kouri’s The Problem Drinker and she’s made some observations…

The Problem Drinker

By: Kyle Kouri

Published by Clash Books

Release Date: May 12, 2026

His girlfriend is horror famous, his own writing and acting is floundering, and he is drinking to make sense of it all.

It’s a great feeling to randomly peruse NetGalley and find a 5 star read.

I have complicated feelings about this book. Don’t get me wrong, those feelings don’t make it bad, but it makes the experience of reading it……well…complicated. But also this book is really GOOD!! And isn’t that what makes books worth reading ? When they deliver an emotional challenge straight to our hearts or brains or wherever else the words speak to us.

I like Kyle’s style of writing. I like the brief chapters and the way he observes his own plight in life. Each chapter is presented like a short essay and they aren’t placed in chronological order, but the placement is obviously intentional. Little tidbits of information that tie up a seemingly random fact from earlier pages.

I love the dynamics he shares about his family. These parts were perhaps the most relatable to me. Sibling relationships, relationship with parents, FAMILY LORE. It’s all there, and it’s heart-wrenching, and well expressed.

The title of this book is The Problem Drinker. Is Kyle’s drinking a problem? He never really acknowledges it. At one part his girlfriend says to him, I don’t judge you for drinking and if you drink every day for the rest of your life, that’s okay, she says this to him when going through personal adversity and needing him not to get too drunk so he can be there for her if she has a panic attack. So maybe he does.

Kyle presents to us his love for cocktails, nights out, bar hopping with the people he loves, but on the flip side he titled the book The Problem Drinker.

He has a sibling who has serious addiction issues on one hand but also maybe Is still reckoning with the role of alcohol in his own life? Or maybe not? Either way I  enjoyed reading the journey

Kyle’s girlfriend is a successful horror writer; they are very cute and very obviously and solidly in love. There are a lot of tidbits about celebrities from that scene. He does a good job of describing his own frustrating writing journey, while she flourishes.

All in all, this is a well written memoirist type book. A snapshot into someone who is young’s life. Someone whose biggest journey and maybe even struggle is still to come. Which in a way is awesome because I hope he writes another one.

I read The Problem Drinker in one night, with its short addictive chapters, heartbreak and humor I recommend it to MMI Readers.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book to review.

Chrissy Winters is a writer who lives surrounded by golden wheat fields and swaying soybeans in rural Ontario, Canada.  A graduate of Simon Fraser University’s The Writers Studio, Chrissy is a wife and mother of three and dog mom of two.  She loves creating characters, reviewing books, film and television and is fueled by exercise and coffee. Connect with her on Instagram @chrissyreadsandwrites.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.