The Husband Who Refused to Die

A story about love and loss that will pull at your heartstrings.

The Husband Who Refused to Die,  Andrea Darby

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:   General Fiction

Its a strange book in many ways but it covers so much ground; the science of Cryogenics, the ethics of rich people and what they do with their money  v charities and the need for funds, the stress of a bereavement on families, the way upbringing impacts on adults, and of course learning to live again and try romance after the death of a loved one.
Its not a story I'd reread, but it was one I really enjoyed reading.

I so felt for Carrie, Dan having chosen to be frozen left her feeling weird, he was dead, but then was he really? Can you be considered dead when you’re frozen?
It all makes the grieving process so much harder for her, and having lost my own lovely husband of 40 years this year I so felt for her.
Then there’s their daughter too, just at the age when teen years strike and life is hard to deal with anyway, she’s got something more difficult to contend with. Its inevitable that some of the kids will tease and taunt, and that was awful for her.
Carrie’s sister in law, Sunny, is a strange lady, full of natural remedies, healing stones and crystals, oils and potions, massages and positive thoughts.
Sunny and Dan were brought up by sixties hippy parents and that’s come out in a big way in Sunny and her life.
Sometimes Carrie feels she’s blaming her for not being into Cryogenics as Dan was, not being open minded enough.
Eleanor, the daughter, poor kid. Its hard to lose a parent, but she’s also got the issues Carrie has, is Dan really dead? And of course the taunts from her school friends every now and then when the press dig up the story to link with something else.

Carrie and Eleanor are kind of drifting along when the story hits the press yet again, and brings up all the old grudges.
This time someone has leaked that Dan “donated” £200,000 to be frozen, and there’s angry letter about the ethics, about living people needing that money, about how wrong and selfish it is to choose that when others are starving...all the stuff that comes up every now and then. Odd how these characters ( in reality ) never want to cut their own lifestyles, donate their own money, but are happy to condemn others choices.
Carrie starts getting hate mail, dropped and silent calls and more threatening incidences. Its so unfair – its not as if it was her choice and yet she’s copping the blame, while still struggling to cope with the decision herself.

When she picks up with an old boyfriend – well, I just didn’t like him. We knew their relationship had ended suddenly, badly, but not what has happened, and then Ashley comes up with – well to me a feeble excuse, but it seemed credible to Carrie.

The issue I had with the book was that several parts dragged, felt prolonged and not really adding to the story. Then the ending was a complete turnaround, so quick I felt whiplashed... and I didn’t really know how we got there. One page she’s...and the next it’s months on and all different.
I’d have liked more flow, more story there and less in other places, but of course that’s me and yet again I can see others love this book as it is.
Its an interesting read, full of things to ponder, question our own thoughts on what we’d do ( for example: would I want to wake up years on when everyone I knew and loved was dead? No, a definite no )  and one I enjoyed but as a one off only.

Stars: Four, an interesting read that posed many questions, made me think about what I would have done.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

Really thought provoking book, exploring what it really means to 'lose' someone. I would really recommend this.