This was a bit like dystopia come science fiction as it’s not my usual read.
Entertaining though and pretty impactful.

Not an author I’ve heard of before and it’s been sitting on my “busting my backlist” shelf for the longest time.

Hubby is laid up and so in between caring for him, doing housework etc I desperately need to read and escape (anyone relate?)

Dan.
He’s homeless and witnesses a terrible accident.

The author vividly explains how the woman is cradling her dying husband in her arms.

Dan walks.
But he can’t forget this accident.

But, what’s happening to Dan?

I was goofing and chuffing to myself when I read on saying “yea ok….right” in a sarcastic disbelieving way…..I soon sat upright though. What!?!


Very good story inside (in my humble opinion) a naff cover!

Absolutely loved this. I didn’t know what to think of it when I started but I really enjoyed it. The fact it was written from all 3 sides made it so much more interesting as you got a take on Joe, Natalie and Dan. The premise of hearing another persons voice and thinking you’re possessed isn’t one I’ve read about before and it was a really interesting narrative.

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

Warning - you might tear up a little reading this. Homelessness, love, loss, grief, and spirits are all touched on in this book. We get to read from both Dan (possessed by Joe, so who're we really following?) and Natalie (Joe's widow). While I enjoyed two perspectives, I wish fewer chapters had covered the same ground over from the other perspective. (It gets a bit repetitive without enough changes to keep it interesting). Overall I enjoyed reading this, and it tugged at my heart a little.

A great book with a brilliant storyline. I have not read anything by this author but I will certainly be looking for other novels now.

A good intro thriller but not for me, unfortunately. Just a bit too unconventional and predictable. I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed, unfortunately.

Thank you John Hunt Publishing amd Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I found this book very enjoyable, highly recommended.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

After witnessing a fatal car accident, a homeless man wanders the streets of Brighton, trying to ignore the new, incessant voice inside his head. But he can’t forget the crash, can't get the face of the woman cradling her dying husband out of his mind. She stared into his eyes, his soul. He has to find her.

Is Dan ill or has he really been possessed by the spirit of Natalie's dead husband, Joe? If he hasn't, why does she let him into her home so easily? Does she have secrets of her own? The Pursuit of Ordinary is a twisting tale of modern life and mental health where nothing is what it seems...

I loved this book, it was well written and some good plot twists. You are actually left wondering who has the mental illness.
This book covers some pretty harsh topics, domestic abuse, homelessness, depression and mental illness. The story is told from the point of views of both main characters.
The only downside to this book was the repetition as the same part of the story is told from both points of view which is an interesting concept but means you are often reading the same thing which can get a bit tedious.
On the whole though I enjoyed this book and will be recommending to others.

With thanks to Net Galley who provided me with a copy in return for an honest review.

When Natalie’s husband Joe is killed in a freak traffic accident, she is cast adrift but before long she is sought out by homeless Dan who she recognises from the accident scene. But the problem is that Dan is insisting that the spirit of Joe has entered his body and has asked him to find her so they can be together again. As a witness to the incident that changed her life forever, Natalie needs to know what Dan saw of that night.

The story flicks between the perspective of Natalie, Dan and Joe, and is sometimes told through conversations Joe and Dan have together.

A brilliant story of perceptions, all in the pursuit of ordinary.

Ordinary. Normal. Are these things insults? Or something to aspire to? When we are young we want to be individuals (although often by joining a tribe of some sort) but at other points in life the idea of fitting in, of not calling attention to ourselves, appeals. But when it comes to our mental health, well, normal is the thing to aspire to: or is it?

Dan’s brain is certainly not what anyone would call normal. He has suffered since childhood and is currently living rough in Brighton, alone apart from the persistent voices in his head. When he witnesses a fatal car accident he realises the voice in his head is that of the victim, Joe, and he (Dan) is inexorably drawn towards Natalie, the widow who he last saw cradling her dying husband. This, given, Dan’s state of mental health is understandable but why does Natalie accept his story? Why does she then let Dan into her home, her life and, eventually, her heart? As we look back into both Dan and Natalie’s lives we learn about their pasts, their relationships and discover that they each have their own issues with their mental health and with the families who have tried, and failed, to make them more ‘normal’.

If this were just an exploration of two characters psyches it would be an interesting but rather ‘worthy’ novel. However, we explore more about Dan and Natalie than their mental health – we explore their relationships with families, friends and strangers and the growing romance between them. Nothing is prettied up either and each character’s internal voice is, by turns, bitter, fearful and self-hating until they are able to realise that while those voices are individual and personal to them they could, with help, move towards one which is far more within a normal range. They both, in the end, aspire to become ordinary, while realising they can still retain much of what makes them both unique and worthy of love.

This is an excellent book and the sort you don't want to start too late in the evening as you will want to continue reading and not go to bed. There are no spoilers in this review which makes it difficult as there are so many tortuous twists and turns. A fatal road accident has the soul of a dead man (Joe) entering a nearby homeless man (Dan). Dan then tries to befriend the dead man's widow with Joe in his head telling him what to do. It is an intriguing premise and it is beautifully executed. The book keeps you guessing and Mr Cooper is a strong enough writer luckily to keep all the characters clear and distinct. The point of view changes but because each person has a unique voice, you always know who is speaking - even Natalie can tell the difference between Dan and Joe because of their accents.

The narrative is complicated and satisfying and there is much to admire and enjoy in this story. Even if you find yourself disliking any of the folks, you still want to know how it ends. My feelings vacillated throughout the story and I found the whole book entertaining and moving and I was glad I had read it. The ending is suited to the plot and leaves you satisfied.

Recommended if you like mysteries with twists and well drawn characters.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This was a story about the weirdest threesome to have ever existed. I found myself confused whether it was Joe or Dan which was her dead husband, or the homeless man that Natalie took into her home.

This was my second book from this author, and it was very different than my previous experience.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an intriguing book. Can the spirit of one person transfer and live on in another? The premise seems ridiculous. The main characters first come in to view at the scene of a fatal road accident where this appears to have happened and then their fates are entwined forever. Initially the story was not convincing for me as a reader and I almost put it aside but as the plot progressed I found myself engaging with it more. The dialogue between Dan and Joe and the interactions with Natalie are well-written and clever. As we see two damaged and vulnerable characters attempt to change their lives, we gain an insight in to how ordinary people deal what befalls them.. An emotional and ultimately positive read.

Cooper's sophomore novel brings us another thought provoking, sat at times and hopeful in others, kind of read. While bleak, like his debut novel, it didn't quite pack the punch that Beat the Rain did. However, Cooper elicits emotions from his readers by tackling issues of abuse, mental health and grief.

The author brings us a unique story in which a homeless man, Dan, witnesses a crash and sees a man, Joe, dying in the arms of his wife, Natalie. As a result, Joe's spirit seems to jump into Dan's body and is directing him to go to his wife. That she will help. That he would always find a way back to her. So "they" show up at her door and she unexpectedly invites "them" in.

I can't say too much without giving anything away so I'll keep this short and sweet. This book goes back and forth between Natalie, Joe and Dan's POVs. The beginning felt a bit disjointed and I was a little confused but then quickly saw what the author was doing. While we see the same scenes through each person, it began to feel slightly redundant in certain aspects and I could feel my mind wander. However, each one, while similar in scene, did bring something new to the character at hand... and that became fascinating for getting to really know the characters. Boy are they interesting - and ALL full of secrets. Each has their own agenda.

Intriguing, unique and emotional.

This is not a book I would normally read from the synopsis. However I was drawn in from the beginning. It is a really insightful, multi layered story that at some points, I wasn't sure if there was going to be a massive shocking twist. I would recommend this highly.

I really enjoyed this book and thought that the characters were well enough drawn to identify with them and care what happened to them! The complexities of the story made me think about Dan, Natalie and Joe at odd times of the day. Love the twist at the end too!

Maybe if I kept on reading I could have got I to this book, but from the beginning I was lost. I re-read the beginning again thinking I had missed something, but still it did not make sense to me. Dan, Joe, who was this man - am I reading about his memories, a past life or the future? There are not many books that do not hold enough interest for me to read it to the end, but unfortunately this was one of them.

Beautifully written book. Very well written characters.
Very different to anything I have read before. Highly recommended

This is such an interesting premise. Natalie appears to be grieving – but there is more her relationship with deceased husband Joe than first meets the eye. And homeless man Dan is a complex and conflicted character – is he ill or actually possessed? At first, the reader really doesn’t know, and this adds depth and interest to the novel.
The storyline around Natalie’s marriage and how she got to the point at which she’d arrived at the opening of the novel has so much potential, as do the issues around Dan’s mental health and the failings that have led him to where he is when the two meet. But I felt that these things were overshadowed by the structure of the novel.
I really didn’t like the way the same events were relayed by different characters. This can really work and can give a different perspective to those events, but here there was far too much repetition. The same scenes were rewritten from different points of view – the same things happening and exactly the same dialogue. This became very tedious and repetitive to read, unfortunately, and spoiled, at least for me, what could have been an excellent book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.