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“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and
curl my back to loneliness.”
― Maya Angelou
by Richard Roper
My review:
Have you ever told a
lie so big that you felt there was no way out of it? This is precisely what Andrew’s
world has become. What started as an innocent lie turns his world upside down
when asked to host a dinner party for his co-workers.
First of all let me
just be honest and say I had no idea a thing called a ‘council’ existed. A Public Health branch where people search for next of kin for those who have died alone. It turns out
there is such a thing and this book takes us into this sad world where a person
could be given a funeral for no one to attend. But Andrew, our wonderful hero
of this amazing story, does his best to make this sad world a better place -one lonely funeral at a time.
On the surface Andrew
seems to have the perfect life. A lovely wife, two wonderful children, a beautiful
home and a job where he knows he’s making a difference. In reality things are
much more different and complicated for him. At 42, Andrew is aware that his
life is not what it could be but has no desire to change.
As we get to know
Andrew, we begin to see just how lonely he is. He hides his emotions behind Ella Fitzgerald and his miniature
trains. There is something in his past that torments him every time he hears
the song ‘Blue Moon,’ by Fitzgerald, which causes panic attacks. It’s
heart-breaking to see this wonderful person go through life in such pain!
There he
meets Peggy, who is starting a job at the council. Andrew likes to do his job
alone so when he is chosen as Peggy’s trainer, he’s not very pleased. This is
where his life begins to change. Soon they become friends but Andrew has too
many secrets preventing him from living the life he so desperately wants.
This is a
wonderful story of friendship and loss. A story about strength, acceptance and
the resilience of the human spirit. It will make you laugh and cry. It will
break your heart and put it back together. I love how simple yet complicated
each character is and how each is developed in a way that works perfectly with
Andrew’s story. I wish I had an Andrew in my life, that’s for sure. Beautifully written.
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