#BlogTour Nothing Man by R. J. Gould.

 

It's my turn on the BlogTour Nothing Man by R. J. Gould.

About the Author

Richard writes under the pseudonym R J Gould and is a (rare male) member of the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA). His first novel was shortlisted for the Joan Hessayon Award following his participation on the RNA New Writers' Scheme. Having been published by Headline Access and Lume Books, he now self-publishes. 

He writes contemporary literary fiction about relationships, loosely though not prescriptively within the Romance genre, using both humour and pathos to describe the tragi-comic journeys of his protagonists in search of love. Nothing Man is his sixth novel, following A Street Café Named Desire, The Engagement Party, Jack and Jill Went Downhill, Mid-life follies and The bench by Cromer beach.

Ahead of writing full time, Richard led a national educational charity. He has been published in a wide range of educational journals, national newspapers and magazines and is the co-author of a major work on educating able young people. He lives in Cambridge, England.

Follow @RJGould_author on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, Visit rjgould.info

About the book

One man in need of an overhaul. Two women determined to drag him there. - Neville Watkin’s life is so rubbish surely things can’t get any worse.  Yes they can, because his wife leaves him, he loses his job, has a car crash and ends up in hospital.

Feisty Laura, the other party in the car crash, befriends him and sets out to turn his life upside down. For reasons he struggles to understand, Caroline, her equally feisty mother, seems to like him. Rather a lot. 

All in all things are looking up, but is Neville courageous enough to seize these new opportunities?

Review

If you take a step away from the story then you will probably realise the irony of the title in relation to the entirety of the plot. Whether that is intentional or not is another matter. The whole point is that Neville lives a life without any purpose - a seemingly empty existence - a nothing man. Everything seems to evolve around this, hence the story appearing full of inconsequential details and scenes.

A chance encounter opens up a whole new door and interpretation of what life could actually be for Neville. I guess you could say it's a story of self-discovery and perhaps even a new way of looking at men and what everyone sees as a mid-life crisis. Instead it's an uplifting story about not giving up when a door is closed, because there is always another door waiting to open up.

The author gives the read a light-hearted and uncomplicated feel. Even the more serious moments are experienced with a devil-may-care and blasé attitude, which again I felt is what the author may want readers to take away from this read - never give up, because you never know what is waiting for you right around the corner.

Buy Nothing Man at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.