Zibby Publishing
304 Pages
On rare occasions, I will grab a book after reading a review in one of the trade magazines. Over the years I have discovered that most of the books that get hyped in these magazines don’t live up to the hype. Sometimes, however, a review intrigues me and I have to read the book. Such is the case with I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney. So, when I saw it sitting proudly on the shelf at the Lockport Public Library, I grabbed it to bring it home. And then I read it in a single evening. In fact, I started it at bowling, where our good friend, Howie, mentioned that he had purchased this book and was excited to read it.
Bud Stanley writes obituaries for a living. But that doesn’t mean he’s living his life. After his divorce, it seems life has gone off the rails. There’s nothing to keep him focused on the way ahead. As a result, he makes a series of poor decisions and one really bad one that has far-reaching consequences. He accidentally posts his own obituary on his newspapers site, complete with zany half truths and outright lies. This sets off a chain of events that has him reevaluating his entire life. A suspension from his job gives him more time to contemplate on the status of his life.
Along the way, he reconnects with a friend who was living downstairs. He finds a crazy woman who helps open his eyes and gives him something to look forward to each day. He learns to forgive, at least a little bit. Ultimately, he learns about life, love, and friendship, and it comes from the strangest of places. Will he be able to redeem himself and save not only his job, but also his life? With wry humor and some sadness, we follow Bud Stanley through some of the darkest moments of his life to let him start to shine in the light of a new day.
When I first started this book, I turned to Howie, who was sitting next to me, and said, “I’m not sure I’m going to like this.” The very beginning of this book was clunky and hard to follow. But by page fifty, it was firing on all cylinders. I couldn’t read it fast enough. Once Bud stops wallowing in his own mind and gets out in the world with an old friend and a new friend, this story really opens up into something special. By the end of the book, I was sad to see it go.
The characters in this book are intriguing. And that’s a good thing. Bud rotates through a series of emotions. It’s a roller coaster ride that is lifelike. We’ve all been there. One moment we’re high, and then the next we’re hitting the lows. Life comes at you in relentless waves, and this book’s characters face these same moments. Nothing is ever really smooth sailing for him, and even in his best moments, he is a bit awkward. I can identify with that, and that makes this book seem so much more realistic. The author perfectly captured these moments and committed them to ink.
After a slow start, I really loved I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney. It picked up steam as we progressed. By the end, you wanted to be Bud’s friend, urging him not to quit, to take a chance, and to offer their shoulders. Could you ask for much more from reading a book? That it evoked an emotional response from the readers is what pushes this book to be great. I could not get enough. Now I have to see if I can find any of Kenney’s other books so I can read them too. Check out I See You’ve Called in Dead. It is well worth it.
Craig Bacon sometimes goes full Walter Mitty and wonders if he’s a superhero who’s so secret that even he doesn’t know it.