This work is short listed for the Richard & Judy Book Club 2007. It is an uplifting story set in Los Angeles about one man's effort to bring himself back to life. Richard is a modern day everyman; a middle-aged divorcee trading stocks out of his home. He has done such a good job getting his life under control that he needs no one. His life has slowed almost to a standstill, until two incidents conspire to hurl him back into the world. One day he wakes up with a knotty cramp in his back, which rapidly develops into an all-consuming pain. At the same time a wide sinkhole appears outside his living room window, threatening the foundations of his house. A vivid novel about compassion and transformation, "This Book Will Save Your Life" reveals what can happen if you are willing to open up to the world around you. Since her debut in 1989, A.M. Homes has been among the boldest and most original voices of her generation, acclaimed for the psychological accuracy and unnerving emotional intensity of her storytelling. Her keen ability to explore how extraordinary the ordinary can be is at the heart of her touching and funny new novel, her first in six years.
This Book Will Save Your Life
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'AM Homes' new novel is weird and warm and wise and really rather wonderful' Mark Haddon *"Witty and well written while in pursuit of the spirits living inside the machine" Times *"Homes is excellent on the inner workings of men" Time Out
Book Description
A vivid, touching and very funny novel about loneliness and integration set in LA.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 69 people found the following review helpful
By M. Dean
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thought this book was fantastic!
The book is an easy read, and I found it very difficult to put down. It's about Richard, a wealthy but lonely man in LA who needs to do something more with his life. You don't feel particularly sorry for him, but get intricately involved in his life, as he develops a friendship with Anhil, who sells donuts and provides wisdom, and from there seems to pick up people along the way who are in need of a friend, as is he. The people he meets are very interesting, and vividly described, so that they become your friends too. The book also explores Richards relationships with his family; his brother, parents, ex-wife and son.
As it's set in LA it also describes how life differs there - the Beverley Hills way of life, with constant sunshine, a focus on looking good, eating healthily and 'being someone'. (Its references to Malibu Beach and Santa Monica and the pier brought back great memories of a holiday I went on to those places last year).
Ultimately however, it shows that people are all individual human beings who need friends and need to be loved, and it doesn't matter where they come from or how rich they are, they all have the same needs.
It was a joyful, uplifting book, which didn't preach, but just told a story which was funny to read and sad to have finished. So quickly over! Read it in the depth of winter to cheer you up and bring sunshine into your life, or on holiday as an easy, relaxing read. It will fit the bill.
The book is an easy read, and I found it very difficult to put down. It's about Richard, a wealthy but lonely man in LA who needs to do something more with his life. You don't feel particularly sorry for him, but get intricately involved in his life, as he develops a friendship with Anhil, who sells donuts and provides wisdom, and from there seems to pick up people along the way who are in need of a friend, as is he. The people he meets are very interesting, and vividly described, so that they become your friends too. The book also explores Richards relationships with his family; his brother, parents, ex-wife and son.
As it's set in LA it also describes how life differs there - the Beverley Hills way of life, with constant sunshine, a focus on looking good, eating healthily and 'being someone'. (Its references to Malibu Beach and Santa Monica and the pier brought back great memories of a holiday I went on to those places last year).
Ultimately however, it shows that people are all individual human beings who need friends and need to be loved, and it doesn't matter where they come from or how rich they are, they all have the same needs.
It was a joyful, uplifting book, which didn't preach, but just told a story which was funny to read and sad to have finished. So quickly over! Read it in the depth of winter to cheer you up and bring sunshine into your life, or on holiday as an easy, relaxing read. It will fit the bill.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is a long time since I have read a book until 3 in the morning, well this one did it, for 2 nights running.
It is a very strange book and I will not go over the story again, just to say it is very original. I enjoy books when I care about the characters. I found myself caring about all of the characters in this novel, and even now I wonder how they are doing. That is what this book does to you. It is like looking through a big window, at a group of real people and taking a few snapshots at their lives.
At first Richard seems to be a pathetic, geeky wimp, but without trying too hard, he gradually changes. It is a coming of age novel, except that the main character is in his fifties. But because he appears to have been hibernating for so long, coming of age at his age, is okay. Richard doesn't try to be nice, he is nice. The remaining characters cannot help but like him, and he, them.
Despite all the negative things you hear about the folks of 'la la land' this novel reminds you that there are nice/different people everywhere. Please read this book, keep an open mind and it will make you smile and lift you.
It is a very strange book and I will not go over the story again, just to say it is very original. I enjoy books when I care about the characters. I found myself caring about all of the characters in this novel, and even now I wonder how they are doing. That is what this book does to you. It is like looking through a big window, at a group of real people and taking a few snapshots at their lives.
At first Richard seems to be a pathetic, geeky wimp, but without trying too hard, he gradually changes. It is a coming of age novel, except that the main character is in his fifties. But because he appears to have been hibernating for so long, coming of age at his age, is okay. Richard doesn't try to be nice, he is nice. The remaining characters cannot help but like him, and he, them.
Despite all the negative things you hear about the folks of 'la la land' this novel reminds you that there are nice/different people everywhere. Please read this book, keep an open mind and it will make you smile and lift you.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By R. Johnson
Format:Paperback
...it just gets under your skin. Slowly, with each turn of the page you become more emotionally involved in the characters and by the end of the book you truly feel you've just witness a life lesson in progress. Makes you want to go out and be like Richard - choosing to re-enter your surroundings and engage with those around you, for who knows what adventure it could lead you on.
Witty, engaging, orginal, surreal, pick it up and read it - you wont regret it.
Witty, engaging, orginal, surreal, pick it up and read it - you wont regret it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Uniquely Satisfying Book
This is a uniquely satisfying book - the right balance between ordinary coincidences and the fantastic. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Hugo Minney
1.0 out of 5 stars
This Book will NOT save your life
What an irritating book. Writing by numbers, LA style 'xanax-prose'. Style over substance. Superficial characters and story. Read more
Published 7 days ago by bubba b
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best new writer for me.
This is why we pursue fiction. A fresh voice to me, and I am now impatient and eager to read everything she has written. It is an easy read, but a wily and deceptive one. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Peter Kettle
3.0 out of 5 stars
life not changed
easy read but not life changing for a 32 year old female. funny and okay to read but by no means life changing
Published 1 month ago by anon
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strange, meandering little book. Good for book clubs.
This is an unusual book. A guy gets a wake up call and the book follows the next few weeks of his life, which are full of twists and turns. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. P. Buckley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Its not what you think
Loved this book ! it was not what I expected at all. Was hooked from the first page. Would recommend this to anyone who likes a light hearted read.
Published 1 month ago by carol taylor
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hole in the middle
Despite the gimmicky marketing-ploy title, this makes a promising start. Fifty-something Richard has used his wealth gained in the finance industry to create a self-contained... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Antenna
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning
Brilliant sharp to the very end. Clean prose easy read would recommend. Grew to love the main character and believable American plot.
Published 3 months ago by Julia Carrier Boswell
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dull and un-inspiring.
I recently picked up this book in a charity shop, as I remembered wanting to read it when it was published and never got round to it. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Miss Z. A. Binger
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining
As the book progresses the story gets more interesting but it will not save or even change your life. But it will keep you entertained whilst reading it
Published 3 months ago by Elena Child
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