Thanks to picking up random books based on the oddest of things, I sometimes end up reading very different storylines over the course of any given year. This one was not something I would have ordinarily liked, but strangely enough, I kept wanting to see the extent to which our lead protagonist, the mourning son, Luther trying to make sense of his world without his mother in it, would go.
We are left with no doubts about how much of a ‘mama’s boy’ Luther is despite his advanced age and surprisingly stable romantic relationship with an intelligent woman. The story begins with Luther having to witness his mother’s passing helplessly. This situation would have turned anyone’s head, let alone someone who’s life is very dependent on that parent.
Luther spirals out of control, obsessing over anything that he could do to clear his conscience, and things get remotely ridiculous. Despite hyperbolic reactions, as a reader, I never felt like the sadness was not real because it suited the character to mourn in that particular way. It was a distinctly different read but was written smoothly, and once I started reading it, I worked my way to the end quite easily. I would pick up something by this author again.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Superfluous Reading 