Is it just me, or is summer flying by a little too quickly? We’re already halfway through July, but wasn’t June just yesterday?? If I see one more pumpkin or 3-ring binder set, I’m going to have a melt down. STOP IT WITH YOUR PUSHY FALL DECOR AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES, TARGET! I’M NOT READY!
Other than that, things are going swimmingly. Slowly but surely, I’m putting a huge dent in my TBR pile. It’s been accumulating an impressive array of reading material over the last few months. In order to accomplish this summer time goal, I’ve skipped a few months of my subscription to Book of the Month Club (which has actually been less painful than I thought it would be.)
This has freed me up to actually indulge in the BOM selections I already have. How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper is one of those books. The old adage, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” totally doesn’t apply here. You should definitely judge this book by it cover, because the cover is awesome and thus, so is the story!
Andrew is a civil servant, working for the Death Administration sect of a city council located in England. His days are largely taken up with looking through the homes of the recently deceased when their wishes for the division of their estates isn’t clear.
To say this is a depressing job (that requires lots of self-reflection and alarming revelations) would be an understatement. Many of the individuals’ homes who Andrew audits are people who weren’t discovered to have died until weeks (even months!) after the fact. Andrew often attends the funeral services of his cases as a sign of solidarity for their lonely departures. And he’s usually the sole witness of this final goodbye.
Along with having a thoroughly dark and tragic nine-to-five gig, Andrew finds his actual office too depressing to endure. Even more depressing than dead people houses? Apparently so.
A misunderstanding that has developed into a full-fledged con-job has Andrew constantly on his toes around his boss and obnoxious office mates. Even worse, his insufferable dweeb of a boss has mandated that each staff person take turns hosting a dinner party at their respective homes. This could prove disastrous for Andrew and his entire fictionalized life. Feeling caged in and uneasy by their inquiries, Andrew opts for any opportunity to leave the confines of his clerical dungeon – even if it means scavenging through dead people’s belongings.
With a dismal social life and almost non-existent relationships of any kind, Andrew finds solace and companionship in an online forum for model train enthusiasts. He is able to project himself in a comfortable way, sans half-truths and outright lies.
Though obviously lonely and keeping himself at arms reach, a new office mate might be the answer to changing Andrew’s entire outlook on life.
In steps Peggy. A new recruit hailing from a different department that required downsizing, thus securing her a position as Andrew’s new co-worker and trainee. Peggy has a knack for bringing humor into terminally dire circumstances (literally.) She’s witty, down-to-earth, and street wise in a way Andrew finds undeniably attractive. The problem? Peggy’s married and Andrew has some secrets of his own that prevent him from following his heart and taking the plunge with telling Peggy what he feels for her.
Will his secret(s) ruin everything? Or will he finally find the companionship he always wanted? What could be so awful from Andrew’s past that he just can’t let Peggy into his world?
All fabulous questions with even better answers!
This is definitely the male version of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Andrew shares some idiosyncrasies with Eleanor and also harbors dark secrets that haunt him in some serious ways. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between Peggy and Andrew and thought the rounding out of the story was equal parts heart-warming and tragic. My favorite character? Cameron, Andrew’s boss. He’s just so clueless and pathetic, you can’t help but feel for him just a little bit.
Really enjoyed this book, it’s warmth and humor, and the humanity that unfolded throughout its telling. 4.5/5 stars!
you need to.
Thank me later.
Happy & healthy reading!
Lexi
