Sometime last year, I decided it was time to break away from Beatles Freak Reviews and start moving in another direction with my life. Writing reviews just wasn’t making me as happy as it used to do. It seemed as if I needed to get back to listening to the Fab Four instead of reading about them day in and day out. I was still getting emails from various publicists and authors asking me to read their books, but nothing really caught my eye until an email about Might As Well Be Dead by Mark Goldblatt hit my inbox last week.
Thirteen-year-old David Salmon is getting over his mom’s sudden decision to pick up and leave. He seems to be adjusting fairly well, but then a strange thing happens. He meets a middle-aged Englishman named Winston outside his house. David suspects that Winston may not be real, but he seems harmless enough, as hallucinations go, and the two of them become friends. If nothing else, Winston is a welcome distraction from the mess at home; David’s dad cannot seem to cope with his wife’s decision move out.
Winston also proves a valuable advisor in navigating the trials of middle school-best friend problems and a budding romance. Eventually, however, Winston confesses the real reason he showed up: he needs David to deliver a message. It’s a journey David desperately doesn’t want to make…because it takes him somewhere he desperately doesn’t want to go.
Might As Well Be Dead is a story about a boy in crisis. Be ready to laugh. Be ready to cry. Be advised: all you need is love.
Yeah, yeah, yeah…it’s fan fiction…and yeah, yeah, yeah…I’ve said I don’t like fan fiction, but there was just something about the synopsis that intrigued me. And I’m not sorry I read it. There is always something enjoyable about reading a young adult novel. Maybe it’s the innocence in it that takes me away from the adult worries of the day that makes me relax into it.
Goldblatt keeps Lennon’s wit and dark humor throughout the story, along with describing his walk and dress as if John’s really still with us. And you got to love that the author named a teacher Mrs. Pang and a guidance counselor Mr. Ivan after two real people who were part of John Lennon’s life.
Might As Well Be Dead was a joyful 210 page read, that will be released on May 5, 2023…but you can pre-order it now at Amazon.com. Buy it for your kids, but read it yourself!
I rate this book, 4 out of 4 Beetles!
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