How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper

June 25, 2019

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper

Andrew Smith works for the London public health department, doing property inspections for Londoners who die without an obvious next of kin.  In addition to inventorying their property, he attempts to locate and notify their next of kin or a friend.  Like many of his clients, Andrew is single, childless, with no close family and few friends, living in a small apartment surrounded by his beloved model trains and his Ella Fitzgerald music, and spending his nights chatting online with other model train enthusiasts.  But Andrew has a secret that threatens to unravel when he meets a new co-worker named Peggy.

The main problem is that the plot is silly.  Yes, Andrew has a secret:  he accidentally told his boss during his interview that he is married with two children.  But Andrew doesn’t have a wife or children.  Even though this is a misunderstanding that could be cleared up with two sentences ("My wife left me and took the kids and moved to the States about a year ago.  I didn't say anything because I'm still hurt and upset, and I'd really rather not talk about it."), he chooses to tell more lies to keep his original lie afloat.  He is unable to admit that Diane, the love of his life, died in an accident over 20 years ago, so instead, he fabricates the life that the two of them might have had, complete with two children and a big elegant townhouse.  At various points, he decides he'd rather kill himself or let his smarmy brother-in-law blackmail him instead of admit to his three equally smarmy co-workers that he made it all up.  I also had a problem with the fact that his love interest is a married woman with two children.

Sorry – this book is NOT a read-alike for A Man Called Ove or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, although it might appeal to readers who like Nick Hornby or Rachel Joyce.  Rather than being quirky, the characters are generally obnoxious or just depressing.

I can't get back the hours I spent reading it.  But at least I was able to help out my co-worker Stephanie with a book review that she was supposed to write.