Six Months to Get a Life / Ben Adams

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Humor

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

This is Ben Adams first book. He lives in London with his two sons and a dog. He also has a sense of humor. A prime example is in his “bio.” Rather than copying the whole thing here, go to his website and click on the button that says “Ben Adams” at the top of the page.

Description:

“Graham Hope had it all – a wife, two perfect children, a detached house in the suburbs and a huge TV. Until today. He now has an ex-wife, lives in his parents’ spare room and gets the kids and the dog at weekends. He might be lost and lonely, but Graham is not a victim. Six months from today he will be forty-three. He vows to sort this mess out by his birthday. He gives himself six months to get a life. Will Graham play a meaningful role in his boys’ lives? Will his mates take him under their wing? Will he move out of his childhood home? More importantly, will he ever have sex again? For Graham, failure is not an option.”

Appraisal:

Graham Hope’s basic story is one that’s played out an innumerable number of times. A couple gets divorced and now both halves of the former couple have to figure out how to adapt to seeing their kids much less than before, new living arrangements for at least one, and how this is going to change their lives in other ways. Plus, you know, that sex thing (or lack thereof). It’s a story that’s been done before. (Most commonly in women’s fiction or chick-lit from the viewpoint of the female.)

This basic story can take two directions, a serious look at the difficulties (those are the women’s fiction) or a more humorous take, which is where the chick-lit version typically comes in. Ben Adams takes the humorous route. At times farcical, yet never going so far that the underlying seriousness of the issues the protagonist Graham is facing are ignored. Anyone who has struggled with the aftermath of a divorce will recognize themselves in Graham with more than one knowing chuckle escaping as they’re reading Six Months to Get a Life.

FYI:

Adult language and mild adult content.

Uses UK spelling conventions, word usage, and slang.

Format/Typo Issues:

This review is based on an advance reader copy so I’m unable to gauge the final product in this regard.

Rating: **** Four Stars