Something To Live For by Richard Roper #BookReview #BlogTour

Sometimes you have to risk everything to find your something...

All Andrew wants is to be normal. He has the perfect wife and 2.4 children waiting at home for him after a long day. At least, that's what he's told people.

The truth is, his life isn't exactly as people think and his little white lie is about to catch up with him.

Because in all Andrew's efforts to fit in, he's forgotten one important thing: how to really live. And maybe, it's about time for him to start.

It's such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for Something To Love For by Richard Roper today. Huge thanks to the author, Orion and Tracy Fenton for inviting me.

Most people will have found themselves in that awkward situation where they don't quite catch a question but instead of asking for it to be repeated, reply with a hopeful yes. That's exactly what happens to Andrew and so, too embarrassed to admit his mistake at a job interview, he claims he lives in a large house with his lawyer wife, Diane and their two children, Steph and David.

In truth, Andrew lives a lonely existence, in a rundown flat, with just his extensive model train collection and Ella Fitzgerald records for company. Despite his poor expectations, the interview was successful and he has spent the last five years working in Death Administration for the council. His job is to visit the homes of people who died alone where he must sift through their belongings to find out if they have any next-of-kin or enough money to pay for the funeral. Although he is under no obligation to do so, Andrew attends the funerals himself so that at least one mourner is present. His steady, unexciting routine is shaken up when Peggy joins the team and shadows him on his visits. They strike up an immediate friendship but his fabricated life threatens his chance at happiness, particularly when his boss, Cameron insists on a Come Dine With Me team-building exercise which will mean his colleagues have to visit his home.

Something To Live For is one of those books which resonated deeply with me and reminded me that we all need to take the time to reach out to those around us. Andrew is a lovely man whose lies come not from a desire to deceive but because he has lost the essence of who he once was. A poignant sub-plot featuring his sister, Sally suggests something happened in his past and his visceral reaction to hearing Blue Moon reinforces this but it isn't until later in the story that we discover the event which caused him to effectively shut down for many years. His instant connection with the fabulous Peggy is an absolute joy - despite having her own troubles at home, she is kind, insightful and down-to-earth with a unique sense of humour. 

Andrew and Peggy are joined by a cast of off-beat yet somehow endearing characters and I loved the scenes involving Andrew's small group of online friends from a model train forum. I've read a few books where the negative side of social media is focussed on, so it was a real pleasure to see the positive aspects recognised here. There is a lot of death in Something To Live For but this is not a dark book; on the contrary it is delightfully witty, emotional and wise. Richard Roper's warm, uplifting story made me laugh out loud, moved me to tears and is a touching reminder that it's worth taking a risk if it helps us discover what matters in our own lives, and to take the time to connect with others.  It's a fabulous debut novel which I'm sure will deservedly be a huge success.

Something To Live For is published by Orion, purchasing links can be found here. Also available from Hive or your local bookstore.

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.

About the Author



Richard Roper was inspired by an article he read about the council workers who deal with situations when someone dies alone. Their days are spent sifting through the ephemera of those who’ve slipped through the cracks, searching for clues to a next of kin. Council workers are under no obligation to attend the funerals. Yet they do, sometimes dozens of them a year, just to make sure at least someone is there.

Richard Roper lives in London. SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR is his first novel.

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