How Not to Die Alone

March 15, 2019
In Roper's quirky and heartfelt debut, a lonely man learns to step outside the confines of his safe but stifling comfort zone.Andrew never meant to get caught up in a lie at work. It started innocently enough--he misspoke when his boss asked if he had kids, so he made up an entire family to get out of an awkward conversation. It was all a misunderstanding, but now his office thinks he has a loving wife and two children even though Andrew lives alone. His only friends are members of an online model train forum, and his only relative is a faraway sister with whom he has a strained relationship. Andrew thinks it's just more comfortable to be by himself--but then Peggy starts working at his office. Their job is an unusual one: visiting the apartments of people who died alone, examining their belongings to see if they had next of kin. As they sort through apartments, Andrew and Peggy become closer, and for the first time in quite a while, Andrew starts to form a connection with another person. The problem, of course, is that she thinks he's a married father. Telling her the truth would put everything in jeopardy--but it might be the only way he can truly be happy. What could be an overwhelmingly grim premise is much sweeter and funnier than it sounds. Andrew is an easy character to like: an introspective and kind loner who's suffocating under the weight of his own grief. Andrew's past traumas are revealed gradually, and the reasons behind his isolation are heartbreaking and poignant.A moving and funny look at grief, hope, and the power of human connections.

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March 25, 2019
Roper’s delightful debut is as funny as it is touching. Andrew is a 42-year-old single man whose life became complicated by an accidental lie about having a wife and children, told while interviewing for a job. After he’s hired, the lie mushrooms, but he can’t find a way to fix it during the following five years at the U.K.’s Death Administration Council, where his responsibilities include inspecting the homes of people who have died alone, and arranging their funerals. Not only do Andrew’s annoying boss and two irritating coworkers ask casual, typical questions about his family, it’s also decided that there will be dinners sponsored by each employee in his or her home. The plot becomes even more complicated for Andrew when he is put in charge of showing the ropes to a new employee, Peggy, a woman he’s attracted to but who is married and has two daughters. As he grows closer to Peggy, Andrew’s social awkwardness adds to his problems: he once finds himself so filled with trepidation about a planned encounter that he spontaneously apologizes after hearing a coworker sneeze. This story of a neurotic, tenderhearted man struggling to learn how not to be alone is irresistible.

May 1, 2019

DEBUT Government worker and model train enthusiast Andrew is grateful for his job, even though it involves locating the next-of-kin of people who die alone. It's not lost on him that he may die alone in his sad apartment with his trains, but owing to a misunderstanding that he never corrected, his boss and coworkers believe he's happily married with children. Andrew is used to the charade, but when he and Peggy, his unhappily married new colleague, begin to click, he has a big problem. He's faced with another quandary when his boss insists that each member of the team host a dinner party. Will Andrew fess up and risk losing the trust of his colleagues, or will he prolong the sham and never have a chance of happiness with Peggy? Debut author Roper's entry into the lad lit arena is dark, hopeful, humorous, and serious, and this heady blend may leave readers with mixed feelings about Andrew, his ridiculous and self-inflicted situation, and his decisions. VERDICT For readers who like to root for a flawed but likable protagonist.--Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2019
Roper's debut is a tragic, sweet, and hopeful novel. Andrew has worked in public health for five years, helping to settle the affairs of those who have died alone. He's a little lonely, but he's got his Ella Fitzgerald records and his prized model trains, and that's all he needs in the world. But when Andrew finds himself smitten with his new colleague, Peggy, he starts to wonder if there's a way to change his life. Before he can do that, though, he'll have to come clean with his coworkers, who think he has a wife and family at home. While this novel will appeal to fans of Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (2017), Andrew himself is not a quirky protagonist?his appeal comes from his sharp wit and repartee with Peggy. Readers won't feel sorry for him, but will root for him, wanting him to fully blossom into the connected, charming person he truly is. This is a story of healing, with a lot of humor along the way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)