How Not to Die Alone

Neither as grim nor as saccharine as the title may imply.

Just the kind of book I wanted to read in these times. Charming, empathetic, witty, emotional, and hopeful, Roper’s cast of quirky, vulnerable characters make for a truly warm and affecting debut.

As I write this review for How Not to Die Alone, I’m trying not to get misty eyed. Okay, at first the book is so funny I laughed so hard I cried. When Andrew goes to his job interview, it’s simply priceless. But as a reader I had no idea why he decides to spin a white lie. A few years later, as Andrews takes a new hire under his wing, he decides the lie that got him the job no longer fits. As he forges a bond he starts to undo the strands, filaments of untruths, that have kept him safe. So as Andrew starts to make a connection with someone that possibly saves his life, he must break free from the past. We learn the truth and it’s heartbreaking.

Takeaway: Mr. Richard Roper author writes the wittiest, driest dialogue and it’s unforgettable as is his ability to tell a story that will rip out your heart and hand it back to you.

Yes, I read it twice and yes I bought the audio version, which in my opinion is simply delightful!!!

Note: the story was renamed to Something to Live For (possibly due to the Covid epidemic, I’m not sure. Anyway, I’m posting this review for both books.)

Lastly, I hope Hollywood makes a movie of How Not to Die Alone, then I can buy the DVD and watch it a gazillion times!

This is one of the most boring books I’ve ever read. I usually am able to find something positive to include in my book reviews. But, unfortunately, I can’t find anything that would allow me to recommend this book. I did a quick read just so I could get to the end and say I’ve read it and it was painful getting to that point. This was such a disappointment because I thought the book premise was promising and would end up being a delightful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Wryly funny and quirkily charming – perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

The blinds on Andrew’s cloistered, weird life are thrown wide open when his new co-worker, Peggy, is assigned to shadow him. In between learning of Andrew’s odd, small life, his dysfunctional upbringing, and his sibling relationship, details of the lonely deaths he is assigned to investigate are smattered through the story. Andrew is thoughtful of and, at times, compassionate toward his cases whose passing is unnoticed by humankind, but it isn’t until Peggy enters and his sister, Sally, leaves his life that he begins to worry about dying alone.

Richard Roper addresses family relationships, loneliness and love in his debut novel, How Not to Die Alone. I am not sure I got what I expected when I chose to read this novel, but I did get a good book. It is the sort of book that slowly stirs one’s emotions. Interestingly the story is told in a third-person narrative, and surprisingly, it fit well with the story layout. Mr. Roper’s descriptive writing is lovely and evocative.

The book is likened to Eleanor Oliphant is Perfectly Fine, and in terms of the plot premise, it is a little too similar to the previously published book. However, aside from the premise, How Not to Die Alone—from past tragedies to resolution—are unique and original. I did find How Not to Die Alone has less quirk than ‘Eleanor’, but it is more poignant. It has its moments of humor sprinkled through the rather sad story. Between Andrew’s lonely existence and his sad job (investigating homes of he dead for signs of living relatives/friends), How Not to Die Alone is a comedy noir.

“There was nobody for him to share the story with. No one to help him laugh his way through it. Loneliness, however, was ever vigilant, always there to slow-clap his every stumble.”

Andrew’s odd story is slowly revealed, and the disturbing findings on the job, his bizarre co-workers, and his delightful new apprentice add some interesting spice to it. The stiff, quarterly phone calls from his sister create a bit of dread in terms of Andrew’s mental health or what might have happened in their collective past. The tension mounts as Andrew’s obsession with his hobby and his aversion to the song Blue Moon is revisited again and again.

There is a moment of transgression that some might call marital cheating, but it is more a response to a highly emotional moment and an acknowledgement that Peggy and Andrew are unhappy with their {respective} status quo. That relatively chaste transgression is a fulcrum in both their lives.

I loved Andrew’s thoughtfulness when it came to his job. It showed him to be a sensitive soul, and it really made him a likable character. Peggy is a breath of fresh air; she has no end of personal issues, but she cheerily approaches work with aplomb. The secondary characters are a motely crew; between Cameron the bizarre, uninspiring department leader and Meredith and Keith the slacker co-workers, Andrew and Peggy could be in the sitcom—The Office. In his youth, Andrew’s sister, Sally bullied him, and in her absence, her husband, Gabe, continues the effort to make Andrew miserable. Beyond these secondary characters, each death Peggy and/or Andrew investigate presents a dismal tertiary character who becomes another lesson in dying alone. While Peggy’s family serves to remind Andrew of what he is missing in life.

How Not to Die Alone is definitely a rally cry for getting offline and connecting with people, for forgiving family members’ imperfections, and for creating a reason to hope.

#NetGalley #HowNotToDieAlone #Fiction

4.5!! See my review at : http://notenoughtimeforbooks.blogspot.com/2019/04/hello-all-courtesy-of-netgalley-i-got.html