The Great Unexpected
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
'Dan [...] introduces us to a shocking post-trauma world where everything and nothing makes perfect sense'. - Annie West, award-winning illustrator
'I've never read anything quite like it ... funny, moving and terrifying all at once.' - Rick O'Sheâ
If you're going to end it, you better make it big. No slipping off bridges, it's undignified for men of our vintage. Go big or don't bother.
Joel lives in a nursing home and he's not one bit happy about it. He doesn't like being told when to eat, when to sleep, when to take his pills. In fact, he doesn't like living at all, and he's decided he's going to end his life on his terms. When he tells retired soap-actor Frank about his dark plan, Frank urges him to go out with a bang. Together, they embark on a mission to find the perfect suicide, and along the way, discover the strength of friendship when you really feel alone.
'An engaging and poignant story that deserves to be read and enjoyed' - Juliet Conlin
'A brilliantly, rallying cry to society filled with wonderful characters and brilliant humour' - The Bookbag
'A darkly funny, heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting story' - Steven Primrose-Smith
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mooney (Me, Myself, and Them) tells a witty, endearing tale of a U.K. nursing home resident who is unhappy with his life. Since the death of Joels' Monroe's wife, three years ago, Joel's roommate at the Hilltop Nursing Home has been the comatose Mr. Miller until he stops breathing and nurses are unable to resuscitate him. After Miller's death, Frank Adams becomes Joel's new roommate, and Joel enjoys having someone to talk to even though he and Frank are very different men. Frank is a charming former actor who lost an opportunity to be with the man he loved for fear of coming out as openly gay, while Joel is a curmudgeonly former garage owner despondent over the fact that the nursing home feels like a prison. Joel tells Frank that he wants to commit suicide, and Frank agrees to help Joel come up with a plan for his demise. While working on Joel's plan, Frank and Joel escape from Hilltop for nighttime adventures, enjoying pints at a pub and clubbing with Joel's grandchildren. Through Frank's friendship, Joel starts to believe that life might be worth living after all. Mooney's novel is filled with humor and touching emotion, providing excellent character development of Frank and Joel and the varied experiences of their lives. This is a real crowd-pleaser.
