I'm going to be completely honest (as always) and tell you that I was in two minds whether to request this book for review after reading the blurb; it sounded intriguing and something different from the norm, but also a bit of a touchy subject. Touchy seems such an inadequate word there, though I'm not sure that 'delicate' which is the only other one springing to mind, is even better. See I guess, that part of my problem, and I'm sure for many others, is that death is such a, well, "touchy" subject. Anyway, where I'm going with this is I'm very pleased I did actually take the plunge and I'm grateful (thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for the copy!) I have had the chance to review it.
Aside of, or perhaps because of, the rollercoaster of emotions experienced, I did enjoy this book. Evan, as the protagonist, is a likeable character, caring for his mother Viv, trying to find a way to help patients in one way or another, and seemingly shying away from lovers/friends, Lon and Simon. I couldn't help but think that perhaps he might have benefitted from a little does of therapy or something that would have helped his apparent inability to be loved.
Is it a book about trying to get the most out of life? A book about love and what it is to be loved? It's probably both those things and more. Yes at times it's very sad, but it is also funny, and a little bit raunchy at times. It certainly gives you lots to talk and think about.

Please, read this, I think armed with tissues you'll get a lot more out of it, than just the great read it is.

t's easy to have a view on issues like euthanasia, until they actually affects you. Ewan has been working as a nurse all his life, and now he's drifted into a position where he is an assistant in assisted suicides. He's fine about the job, he really is, until it starts affecting him after work. He's in denial about his father's death, and can't face the fact that his mother, Viv, who has Parkinsons, may be facing death soon. The pressure piles up, and Ewan's thoughts about assisted death start to become more complex. Set in a very imaginable near future, this is a well written book that uses fiction to explore the difficult idea of assisted death. It's written by a palliative care nurse, and that shows in the insightful analysis. It is, despite the difficult topic, very readable, and I read it in a few nights, gripped to keep on going right until the end to find out what Evan finally decides.

Book is about a subject I have never really thought about or know much about ( apart from from read about in popular woman's book and recent film ). Euthanasia or assisted suicide is a heavy going subject but written about so well in this book. A really excellent book that would have been 5 stars but I was a little disappointed at ending though last chapter was very touching.

A difficult and divisive subject matter handled with sensitivity by the author. The issues which we all share about euthanasia were given room for discussion here but it did not make it a book I can say I enjoyed.

Thank you for the opportunity to read, the easy way out. I thought it was a good story, although it took me a while to get into the story I enjoyed it. Great characters, emotional story I thought. A lot of detail in some parts. It may not be to everyone's liking but I enjoyed it. And I will recommend it to others.

It's easy to have a view on issues like euthanasia, until they actually affects you. Ewan has been working as a nurse all his life, and now he's drifted into a position where he is an assistant in assisted suicides. He's fine about the job, he really is, until it starts affecting him after work. He's in denial about his father's death, and can't face the fact that his mother, Viv, who has Parkinsons, may be facing death soon. The pressure piles up, and Ewan's thoughts about assisted death start to become more complex. Set in a very imaginable near future, this is a well written book that uses fiction to explore the difficult idea of assisted death. It's written by a palliative care nurse, and that shows in the insightful analysis. It is, despite the difficult topic, very readable, and I read it in a few nights, gripped to keep on going right until the end to find out what Evan finally decides.

A challenging read but ultimately quite life-affirming with a sensitive accounting of right to die issues. The main character is something of a cypher and not terribly likeable but the supporting cast gave this novel a rounded and interesting sense of community. I was moved by the various stories and felt I gained a better understanding of the subject. It has a jarringly explicit sex scene in a hotel about halfway which I felt was gratuitous in an otherwise intriguing relationship between three men, and I wondered about whether it was entirely necessary as it didn't really affect the dynamics of their friendship long term.

Wow! This book was excellent!! It's rare for me to actually "LOL" in a book but I did here several times. Wonderfully written story with well developed characters. 5 easy stars!

Really cleverly written and very thought provoking. It's a book that will stay with me a long time.. it's a story but written which a really good depth of feeling in respect of both the helper and also the helpee. My only reservation. About the whole book is I felt it maybe detailed a little to much information about Evan love life but that's just my feeling. I want to read more of Steven,s books

Assisted suicide as a topic is one that I care a lot about. Not just because [author:Terry Pratchett|1654] was such a huge proponent but because it is something that I've considered for myself, in future. However, it's a topic that needs to be considered in a respectful manner, not least because although the decision should always rest with the patient, there are ethical implications for those with degenerative conditions, not to mention the existence of greedy people in the world. As far as I'm aware, this is the first book I've personally ever read dealing with the topic.

Steven Amsterdam draws on his experience as a palliative care nurse in his portrayal of Evan, an assistant to the first "assisted suicides" after they become legal. He is there to give the patient their dose of Nembutal and provide some measure of support for the families (largely in protocol-driven dialogue, meant to completely emotionally detach the nurse from the patient). His friends have no idea what he does and his mother Viv is slowly deteriorating from Parkinson's disease. Soon however, Evan discovers that there are limits to his own morality, that there are places even he is not willing to go and, as he finds himself facing his mother's mortality, he is left who wonder who will provide the support for him at the end.

I actually quite enjoyed Evan and what Amsterdam does with his character. He swings between being a very involved narrator to almost clinical detachment, depending on what he's describing. His interactions with his mother are filled with a sense of helplessness and fear, mostly because of her approach to her disease and her decision not to let it hold her back. With his partners Lon and Simon (because yes, Evan is both gay and involved with a couple in a triad, something I was incredibly pleased to see), he is equally gushing, though he does not tell them exactly what his job entails, afraid of their judgement of him. But when it comes to his patients, he is somehow removed, almost not wanting to imagine that he might find himself in that position with Viv. Throughout the novel, we slowly piece together the kind of relationship he has with his mother, the heartbreak that her death would cause but also their weirdly codependent relationship.

'The Easy Way Out' is, by turns, humorous and thoughtful, but I also found it a tad meandering. There are some implications of assisted suicide discussed, but not in any meaningful way. Evan's stubborn approach to his patients and the ways he deals with their grief and pain (constantly evaluating his performance around them) got a bit samey after a while. It's not helped at all that Nettie (his supervisor) isn't a very fleshed out character. There is clearly history for her in terms of the procedure, but the narrative never goes anywhere with it. I similarly felt that although the inclusion of Lon and Simon is great, their relationship outside of Evan is a complete mystery. Again, this is slightly assuaged by the fact that everything in told in first person perspective, but I also found Evan's lack of interest in them slightly appalling, particularly considering the fact that they are nothing short of supportive in everything they do for him.

I think the third issue I have is with the ending. I'm going to put the rest behind a spoiler cut. Throughout the novel, Viv is constantly shown to be chaffing at the ropes of authority, treating the nursing home staff and their rules with disdain. For such a fiercely independent woman to end up relying on her son for care is something she clearly isn't happy with. But for Evan to then go against her wishes because of some "connection" he seems to make with her, for him to just completely ignore her decisions for her own body just because he could... I was angry. I was angry and disappointed because until then, I had actually had a very good opinion of him. I genuinely believed, right until the end, that he would keep his word to Viv. And while you could argue that he has the spare Nembutal dose at home, he could have done what she actually asked of him. I think what bothered me the most about Evan and his reluctance to give Viv the Nembutal is that throughout the novel he doesn't have any such crisis of faith with anyone else. That simply doesn't happen, so to have it appear right in that moment somehow cheapened the whole thing for me.

There isn't enough real discussion about the implications of assisted suicide and in fact Evan spends most of his time thinking about his relationship to Viv and to Lon and Simon than he does on the ethics of his job. For that reason alone I feel that the use of first person perspective is somewhat... wasted here. He simply accepts it all, there is no moral quandary, there we go. Even when there is a hint of conflict (with Simon, for example), it's just glossed over, Evan simply lies about his job and we're done. The same pattern repeats with Jasper's Path and I dunno... I just wanted something to tell me these characters are human and have actual opinions around assisted suicide that they care enough to defend.

Overall, it's a fairly easy and straightforward read, but I wish the author had done more with some of the moral and ethical issues in the book.

Very clever book - well written with conviction - keenly observant on a truly difficult subject. Great characterisation from an obviously intelligent author which leaves the reader with onward consideration on the issue of euthanasia. As a negative - the apparent lack of final editing throughout, - puts this novel a fews steps from brilliant - which overall is shame. Unless of course it's just a matter of style. Not all readers are patient.

The right to die. An emotive subject, and one that some people seem to struggle with. I fully support a person's right to die at a time and using a method of their choosing. I find our current practice of desperately trying to keep people alive quite, to be frank, barbaric. Quality of life should be the main consideration when discussing euthanasia.

Our narrator, Evan, is thrown into a role as an assistant. He fumbles his way through the first assisted suicide, leading the reader to cringe throughout much of the first section of the book. His relationship with his mother, Viv, is a strange one, a constant game of tug of war. Viv has Parkinson's, and is an excellent depiction of someone who is chronically, rather than terminally, ill. My illness won't necessarily kill me, but it impacts my life in such a way that many healthy people don't understand. Amsterdam understands, and shows this through Viv and her struggle towards being dependent on her son and others.

Evan's sexuality shouldn't bother anyone in this day and age, but the sex scenes can be quite graphic, which I'm not particularly fond of as a rule, but it does lend the story a raw, emotional feel. Evan is gay and involved in open relationships, taking what he needs and giving in return, but never allowing himself to love or be loved.

The writing is entertaining and playful, light despite the darker theme. Amsterdam is thoughtful and tender, but doesn't hold back with the harsher details. He describes a reality of suffering, one that might offend some, and so it should. Leaving people to suffer and take a long time to die is not civilised, and it amazes me that we still adhere to this practice. It's past time that more countries approached death in a more sensible, caring manner.

The Easy Way Out isn't just an exploration of euthanasia and someone's right to die, but also a meditation on life. It asks deeper questions, brings deeper thoughts to the surface. It forces you to examine your beliefs, and why you hold them. Why do we play? Evan asks himself. Why indeed.

Evan is a suicide assistant whose job, although legal, often raises ethical issues. He has a poor relationship with his mother, for whom he ends up as a carer, and an alternative relationship with two male close friends. It is not easy to review this book, because whilst I cannot deny that it was well written, and gripping, in that I wanted to finish it, the subject matter is depressing and thought provoking at the same time. I did skip over the details of Evan's sexual relationship with Lon and Simon, as I found that too graphic for my taste and I did not feel it was relevant to the story. It is certainly a thought-provoking book and does make you wonder whether assisted suicide should actually be made legal. A well written book none the less.

This is my review on Goodreads, with the headline: recommend to those who like thought provoking, is somewhat dark fiction.

Well this is a difficult subject. Steven Amsterdam has managed to create the character of Evan and use wit and in places humour to deal with a controversial subject.

I nearly gave up, but I'm glad I didn't.

The dark side of the topic is always underlying within the story.

Much of the story is told through the eyes of Evan which adds a sense of reality to the book.

I particularly liked the exploration of the legal ethics. Staying within the law. This alongside the moral ethics of the subject, makes this a book which I would happily recommend to my friends and family.

I ended up rating this as a 4* read. Well worth reading.

I give thanks to Netgalley and Riverrun/Quercus Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

I have finished this book three days ago and I still don’t really know what I think. I know I enjoyed it, but it’s the subject that has my head spinning.

Euthanasia is a brave subject for any author and I feel that this book does it justice by covering all emotional and physical sides to assisted death. Evan moves in to the department as an assistant and realises quickly that he in his eyes there is not such think as a silent witness. When he makes a snap decision to lend a helping hand to one of his patients rather than stand quietly in the corner, he is forced to leave the department and look for work satisfaction elsewhere.

Evan’s experience then changes to assisting patients that would not qualify for euthanasia in the legal way and that’s where he sees the ugly side to death.

Amongst all this, his own mother Viv’s health deteriorates until he is faced with a decision that would most certainly change his life forever.

I had real sympathy for Evan. He was alone at times nobody should be alone. In three way relationship with an established couple, he never feels like he could truly admit his line of work. His own mother pushes him away and Evan kind of looks like a spare wheel throughout the book.

It’s an interesting one. This novel opens up questions in your mind about your own morals and thoughts on how you would like to be treated when it’s your time. It does bring a question anyone other than you is entitled to decide how and when you die.

A beautifully expressed novel about the nature and meaning of life, death and love. Evan's mother Viv has an atypical case of Parkinson's disease and she, free spirit, is not coping well with the limitations and slow decline in her health. Evan is working as a nurse on a project to assist patients with terminal illnesses with an early death. But what happens when the worlds of work and home collide? How can Evan, great compartmentalizer and observer, best be a caring and loving son to Viv and live with himself? A warm, unusual story well told.

A very interesting, moving book about death and peoples rights to choose their end. I enjoyed it, very different and well written.

The Easy Way Out covers a topic that makes most people squirm – death. Assisted death, to be specific. In this novel it is legal to aid death assuming all the boxes are ticked and the person rushing towards the pearly gates is of sound mind, is capable of verbalizing their wishes, has a terminal illness, and is able to ingest the death-inducing poison on their own.

This is not a lighthearted topic but this book, whilst still being dark, is both funny and touching. It takes an artist's touch to balance the emotive nature in these pages and Mr. Amsterdam does it flawlessly.

In Evan we find a capable nurse who is qualified to administer death but who cares about the process and its implications as it applies to the recipient and their family. We find Evan tested as his mother, Viv, a feisty woman with no shortage of opinions, struggles to maintain her own good health. What will Evan do if the time comes to make tough decisions for his mother?

I was engrossed by this moving novel and touched by the variety of family experiences Evan witnessed. Death is something no one embraces easily but coping with it in a dignified way might provide a better option than slowly wasting away. I'm not taking a stand on assisted death but this book does question our current convention and I applaud that. The Easy Way Out was a terrific read that takes time to digest and mull over. Well done.