Title: Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Author: James Goodhand
Genre: Fiction
Rating: DNF
lifetime ago, Ray “Spike” Thorns was a well-regarded caretaker on a boarding school’s grounds. These days, he lives the life of a recluse in a house rammed with hoarded junk, alone and disconnected from family or anyone he might have at one time considered a friend.
When his next-door neighbor drops dead on Spike’s doorstep, a case of mistaken identity according to the police, the hospital, the doctors—everyone—Spike is dead. Spike wants to correct the mistake, really he does, but when confronted with those who knew him best, he hesitates, forced to face whatever impression he’s left on the world. It’s a discovery that brings him up close to ghosts from his past, and to the only woman he ever loved.
Could it be that in coming face-to-face with his own demise, Spike is able to really live again? And will he be able to put things straight before the inevitable happens—his own funeral?
I loved A Man Called Ove, but I could not get into this. It was just a total non-starter for me. I have a hard time with neurotic people, and he was one, so there was just no connection for me.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 