Oliver Clock is a sweet, gentle, middle-aged man with an overbearing mother and a family business to run. He is a funeral director, and a darn good one at that. Everything is going swimmingly, until it's not. Beyond his own grief, he finds a new direction for his business (among other things) and is no longer the same man we meet in the beginning of the book.
This is the first I've read of Jane Riley's books, and I hope it isn't the last. Her writing is excellent, and I especially appreciate her skill at forging descriptions of people and settings. I felt as if I could step right into Oliver Clock's funeral parlor. Even the smells were poignant - I don't think I've encountered a book that challenged my own olfactory memory in such a way.
I loved this book, and Jane Riley, you are a gem.
I don’t know about the smells of a funeral parlor. I once had a cologne that was so overwhelming that a coworker made the comment about feeling like he was in a funeral parlor. I do enjoy reading books where the author has gone to the trouble of recreating sights, sounds, scenery & interiors (as well as smells) just by using words.
ReplyDeleteMom, you'd love this book.
Delete