The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock | Jane Riley
REVIEWED BY KAREN BYROM
Life is for living…
Funeral director Oliver Clock spends his life among dead people, confiding his dreams and fears to the bodies he tends with loving respect.
Sometimes he feels they have more life than him. For though approaching 40, Oliver Clock has yet to find true happiness. Too timid to approach the woman he loves, he spends his leisure time in daily routines that include alphabetizing his kitchen store cupboard, making endless resolutions to lose weight, party more – and tell beautiful florist Maria that he loves her, and has done for years.
Then the unthinkable happens…
But just when it seems happiness is in his grasp, the unthinkable happens and Oliver is left facing life without Maria.
Now Oliver has a choice. He can go back to his lists and his loneliness or garner the courage to take life by the horns at last.
Encouraged by funeral parlour receptionist Jean, friend Andy and candle-maker Edie, Oliver finally picks up his list of resolutions and begins again… and as he does so he makes some startling discoveries about himself and the people around him.
In the unlikely setting of a funeral parlour, the story is funny, witty and above all warm, as Oliver and his friends work together to get him back into the land of the living.
Shy, self-deprecating Oliver is an unlikely hero, but I defy anyone not to warm instantly to his charm as he finally learns to face his fears and be true to himself.
The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock by Jane Riley, Lake Union, £8.99 (PB), is available to buy now from Amazon
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Allison Hay
I joined the "My Weekly" team thirteen years ago and, more recently, "The People's Friend". I love the variety of topics we cover both online and in the magazines. I manage the digital content for the brands, sharing features and information on the website, social media and in our digital newsletters.
