The Great Unexpected

August 5, 2019
Mooney (Me, Myself, and Them) tells a witty, endearing tale of a U.K. nursing home resident who is unhappy with his life. Since the death of Joels’ Monroe’s wife, three years ago, Joel’s roommate at the Hilltop Nursing Home has been the comatose Mr. Miller—until he stops breathing and nurses are unable to resuscitate him. After Miller’s death, Frank Adams becomes Joel’s new roommate, and Joel enjoys having someone to talk to even though he and Frank are very different men. Frank is a charming former actor who lost an opportunity to be with the man he loved for fear of coming out as openly gay, while Joel is a curmudgeonly former garage owner despondent over the fact that the nursing home feels like a prison. Joel tells Frank that he wants to commit suicide, and Frank agrees to help Joel come up with a plan for his demise. While working on Joel’s plan, Frank and Joel escape from Hilltop for nighttime adventures, enjoying pints at a pub and clubbing with Joel’s grandchildren. Through Frank’s friendship, Joel starts to believe that life might be worth living after all. Mooney’s novel is filled with humor and touching emotion, providing excellent character development of Frank and Joel and the varied experiences of their lives. This is a real crowd-pleaser.