On the HahaFiction shelf
I See You've Called In Dead
Audiobook available · 7 hr 34 min
Obituary writer Bud Stanley publishes his own obituary by drunken mistake. Already struggling after a divorce, he now has to wait while his employer decides what to do with an employee it has recorded as dead. He begins attending the funerals of strangers, looking for some direction in other people's lives.
From the publisher’s blurb
“He goes to the wakes and funerals of total strangers”Read the full description at Zibby Publishing publisher description
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What makes it funny?
Before the woman arriving for their date reaches him, Bud has already imagined a marriage with her and given her the name Phoebe. He then calls his actual date by that invented name. Even the flowers get diverted: they end up with the bartender.
The comedy at work
Bud can keep adjusting a fantasy in his head, but a real conversation gives him less room to edit. His first-person account lets readers follow the self-justifications and imagined scenarios before an embarrassing remark reveals how far he has wandered.
Try this if…
Awkward dating and midlife self-reproach provide much of the comic company. The friendships have warmth and emotional weight, making room for readers interested in living with grief as well as laughing at social mistakes.
Good to know
Divorce, alcohol use, funerals and bereavement are central. The blind-date excerpt also includes a suicide joke.
A few distinguishing details
- An obituary writer accidentally declaring himself dead
- Strangers' funerals as a guide to getting on with life
More funny workplace comedy
Sources & further reading
- Publisher
Publisher
- Kirkus review
Review
- Opening excerpt
Reading sample
- Library audiobook
Library catalog
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