by John Kenney
First published 2025
Bud Stanley writes obituaries for a living but barely lives himself. His wife left him for someone more exciting. His blind date brought her ex along. After drowning his sorrows in Scotch one night, Bud does something spectacularly stupid: he writes and publishes his own obituary. The newspaper wants him fired, but their system now lists him as deceased, and company policy prevents firing dead employees. This bureaucratic limbo gives Bud an unexpected reprieve. His boss offers him another chance while his friend Tim, a former art dealer with hard-earned wisdom, pushes him toward something radical. Bud begins attending funerals and wakes of complete strangers, hoping to discover what makes life worth living by studying how others lived theirs. As he navigates this bizarre second act, Bud must decide whether to remain safely dead on paper or risk the messy business of actually being alive.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, humor, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: second-chance, slice-of-life
298 pages · Kindle Edition · Zibby Publishing
Content warnings: depression