A review by bookapotamus
How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper
5.0
Is it weird to say a book that leans so much on the subject of death was one of the most fun things I've read this year?
Andrew is kind of in the "business of death" - he works to find next of kin for those who have died alone. You know - those people who's bodies are found in their apartments 6 months after they've died and only because the rent checks weren't being paid? It's a grim job - I expect there's always someone who has to do it. But Andrew is pretty good at it. Although he did have to tell one teeny tiny white lie to get the job.
Nothing too crazy - just a fake wife, and fake kids, and a fake house in a posh neighborhood. In order to look (and feel) like less of a "loser" he makes up a whole family and continues the ruse for years... until someone special finally enters his life and he's faced with exposure.
This book is fun and quirky and sweet. But it's also equally sad and uplifting and like no other story I've read. And boy was it FUN! I loved following Andrew and Peggy along to their home visits, as I've always been fascinated by death, and the business of it, and it was an interesting side angle to the story.
I was rooting for Andrew throughout. To finally find happiness and curious to find what went down in his past that made him feel like he needed to fake it to make it. But also to come clean, and embrace a brighter future, and finally get the happiness he deserves
The story is funny and warm and a breath of fresh air. Highly reccommned!
Andrew is kind of in the "business of death" - he works to find next of kin for those who have died alone. You know - those people who's bodies are found in their apartments 6 months after they've died and only because the rent checks weren't being paid? It's a grim job - I expect there's always someone who has to do it. But Andrew is pretty good at it. Although he did have to tell one teeny tiny white lie to get the job.
Nothing too crazy - just a fake wife, and fake kids, and a fake house in a posh neighborhood. In order to look (and feel) like less of a "loser" he makes up a whole family and continues the ruse for years... until someone special finally enters his life and he's faced with exposure.
This book is fun and quirky and sweet. But it's also equally sad and uplifting and like no other story I've read. And boy was it FUN! I loved following Andrew and Peggy along to their home visits, as I've always been fascinated by death, and the business of it, and it was an interesting side angle to the story.
I was rooting for Andrew throughout. To finally find happiness and curious to find what went down in his past that made him feel like he needed to fake it to make it. But also to come clean, and embrace a brighter future, and finally get the happiness he deserves
The story is funny and warm and a breath of fresh air. Highly reccommned!