Review: The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock by Jane Riley

I discovered this book in First Reads [for Kindle] part of Amazon’s Prime.

The Story

Funeral director/mortician/embalmer Oliver Clock is in a rut. He runs the family business, Clock and Son Funeral Home with the unnecessary and overbearing oversight of his mother. He has reached a certain age and has not married, nor is he actively pursuing anyone. He likes to make resolutions in his notebook to occasionally make a change in his well-ordered and very neat and tidy life. Then it happens that his life is thrown for a loop–a loss, new competition, two women, and more make him rethink just about everything.

My Thoughts

This was a fun little addition to what I’ve come to call the “Something, something life of somebody, somebody” genre. Oliver is a good guy and easy to relate to. The story line is simple, curves in the road are easy to spot and the resolution of problems are predictable. In this case, these are wonderful things. This will never be mistaken for a soul-wrenching, trauma-inducing Oprah book. Reece, though, may love it.

I did, however, find it hard to remember that Oliver was a man. He was so woman-like. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” I hasten to add. Instead of Seinfeld, though, I was left thinking of Friends–the one with Ross and “Sometimes I want to take a bath and put on Kenny G.” I don’t know any men of any age who’d admit to using bath bombs! I thought a lot of his reactions were very feminine. Happily, he finally showed me what he was made of and it made me love him all the more.

My Verdict

A Fun 3 Star Read

The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock by Jane Riley