Matt McAvoy Book Review

This is not so much a book of three short stories, as some of the reviews might suggest, but rather three parts of the same story of one man’s life, each taking one of the themes of its three major events: birth, marriage and death.  It does get you wondering while reading just how much is fictional and how much biographical or autobiographical.  You hope it is not too much of the latter, to be honest, because in all honesty, generally the unnamed protagonist does not come across a particularly likeable chap.  Additionally, as a memoir, it is engaging and cleverly constructed, but as slice-of-life fiction (or, more accurately, three slices), it is a wonderful read, and surprisingly poignant.  In fact, going on the assumption that the book is primarily fiction, perhaps based on a collection of anecdotes from Roger’s life, or those of people he knows, the normality of the events in this book are in fact its biggest strength, making it unusually heartfelt and heartwarming at times.  Don’t expect soap-style melodrama; Roger writes life stories we can all relate to, and I am sure there will be one of these three parts which will hit a nerve with any reader (I myself found the third particularly thought-provoking and personally relevant).  These major life events are covered with humility, warmth and sadness, in just the right amount of emotive balance.  You don’t just read this writing; you feel it.

Roger is a wonderful author, whose writing style is professional and articulate.  Whilst I have read nothing else from him, I would very much like to read more of his fiction.  If you have a liking for light-hearted family drama with a softly humming emotional undercurrent, and a warm and familiar prose, then this will probably be right up your street, too.