Customer Reviews

Love and Other Near-Death Experiences: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've (nearly) finished "Love and..." and while that may lead you to think I'm summarily unqualified to up and "review" the book, having not even completed it, I'd say that it's the journey that counts and not so much the destination and the journey insofar has been absolutely brilliant.

Keeping true to Mil Millington's own personal sense of utter irreverence, skittishness and vaguely esoteric mile-long jokes, Love expresses itself as wholly unique, smart and well executed.

The main character is a bit of a nutcase, but that's fantastic. He agonizes over every smallish decision, from which pen to use to (I'd assume) how many sheets of toilet paper to soil, worried that one course of action over the next might cause him to get hit by a bus. Nevermind the inherent problem with someone who thinks so cyclically as this, (what if he were to be "bussed" while agonizing over such a decision, et cetera) he proceeds on a "quest" to find himself, and straighten himself out since a near-death experience that should have had him killed spared him after a seemingly simple, mindless choice earlier in the day.

The mere fact that Mil isn't writing just another "Things My Girlfriend..." or even another "A Certain Chemistry" shows his versatility, and perhaps his openness to merely career-crushing, devastatingly short-sighted risk. It also allows his true talent to pour out.

Think: If this were another 300 pages of things he's argued about, perhaps set in a slightly different setting, with a slightly longer-haired Ursula redux, how tiresome that would be. That was a great strength of Chemistry, but it's just so refreshing that he completely reinvents his storylines so that they somehow manage to incorporate his brilliant sense of humor while simultaneously doing almost nothing to remind you of his earlier pieces.

I absolutely love this novel, and I'm glad Mil has decided to allow us the privilege of another look inside his bizarrely organized mind. Pick this up, for yourself or as a gift, to anyone who might enjoy a bit of "off-his-rocker" comedy that's smart (and sometimes a bit erudite) and perfect all around.

I came across Mil Millington through the praise lauded on him by author Christopher Moore on his personal website. Like Moore, Millington does what few writers are able to do; put humor into literature. Though lesser known because he is from across the pond, Millington has the potential to find an audience in the States.

The story finds Rob Garland, an indecisive 31 year old man, living with the reality of a near death experience. Fronting the graveyard shift of a jazz radio show, Rob spills his emotions on the air one night. This unites a cast of crazies that have shared similar experiences to Rob's experience on a quest without direction. Battling seemingly irrational bodily desires, the dreaded "fundos", and reconciling a mundane relationship, while mocking a sizable portion of the landscape of English literature, Millington's wit has a sharp point that rarely misses the mark on the first stab. But seeming to know he may have some misses, many quirks are replayed overexposing the joke.

I feel the need to give a word of caution to non-British readers. Millington is decidedly English in his writing. Thus, many Americans may not know what he is talking about or calling certain people. I do not suspect this would keep American readers from enjoying the book, but the internet provides word translation sites at no cost.

Most readers will see the twists in the plot coming before they happen. Yet if you purchase this book, it is unlikely you are hoping to be dazzled by the plot. To be blunt, the book is funny. It does not measure up to the work of Christopher Moore, but that is a difficult standard to meet. But in a niche of the industry where there is room for diversity and new talent, Mil Millington has made a name for himself.

I absolutely loved Millington's first two novels, and I have to say this is a bit of a step down in quality. The razzle-dazzle writing, featuring snappy one-liners and hilarious repartee is all there, however, the framework just isn't quite as good and is unfortunately coincidentally similar to Nick Hornby's last book, A Long Way Down. The protagonist is Rob Garland (a name also a little too close to High Fidelity's Rob Fleming), a 30ish late night jazz DJ who's having problems getting psyched up about his impending wedding (elements which also bring to mind High Fidelity's Rob). It seems that two months ago, he cheated death by being late to an appointment in a building where an accident killed all inside. Since then he falls into paralyzing bouts of indecision, based on the premise that one's life can turn on the most inconsequential of acts.

When his fiancee sits him down and tells him he must cure himself before they get married, he takes the plunge and goes on an quest to sort himself out (again, rather like High Fidelity's Rob). This rather aimless quest involves him teaming up with others who have cheated death. First he meets a young American soldier who wasn't blown up with some buddies in Bosnia, and now appoints himself Rob's facilitator. Next is an the world's most acerbic woman, a suicidaly depressed English teacher in her late 40s who stepped out to get smokes while her Bulgarian hotel burned down in the middle of the night. Finally, there is a beautiful Welsh Wiccan woman who warns Rob about an evangelical Christian sect who is targeting those who've undone God's will by cheating death. The dynamics of this quartet of exceedingly different people is unfortunately similar to A Long Way Down, although Millington writes in a much more laugh-out-loud-funny style.

The story rattles along at an increasingly frantic pace, which helps to disguise the relative thinness of it, and gags and humor are about all that holds it together. Millington does snappy dialogue and nasty humor better than just about anyone, and it's here in spades. Every character (aside from the American of course) oozes killer comebacks and hilarious one-liners. There are also some of the funniest -- though not explicit -- sex scenes I've read. As in Millington's previous two books, there's a kind of melancholy romantic spirit underlying the entire enterprise which makes it somewhat sweet and hard not to like.

A friend of mine recommended this book to me, as he knew I was a huge fan of Nick Hornby. While it doesn't quite have the same appeal or craft as Hornby, it is a funny book and easy enough to read. If you're expecting a twisting plot full of surprises and intrigue, then you really should buy another book, but the writing and injected humor kept the flow of the novel and made for a decent read.

As another reviewer noted, the book has a decidedly "English" voice. I am American and this didn't bother me, but I could see some of the humor alienating an American audience.

That said, Millington does provide a refreshing voice in a genre I enjoy. I will probably give one of his other books a shot.

Rob Garland is a nearly married, thirty-one year old late-night radio jazz presenter. He's also one of those people who have nearly died, a lucky survivor--the sort who escapes a fiery car crash because he's worn the wrong shoes or just missed a fatal flight because he stopped to buy a taco. Which is great, of course, but cheating death like that also has its down sides. The experience has left Rob paralyzed--sometimes literally--when it comes to making smallish decisions, like choosing which pair of socks to put on: that decision, he would argue, is a potentially life-altering one given all the variables involved--how long they take to put on or how slippery they render your feet or whether one pair is more likely than another to spring a hole and whether a hole might wind up resulting in death or injury or saving one from same. There's just no telling which seemingly innocuous choice is going to leave you dead. This is of course no way to live, and going off on an ill-defined quest seems to Rob just the thing to knock himself back into shape. He sets off accompanied by his own squire cum bodyguard, an American ex-GI who's appointed himself as Rob's protector, and he finds along the way something he didn't even know he was looking for. The story Millington tells is amusing enough, but what makes it sparkle is the author's extremely funny, clever, very British dialogue. The book is dialogue-heavy, so there's something funny in pretty much every paragraph. The book is recommended, but if you haven't read the author before I'd recommend you start with his Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, because it's simply one of the best books ever.

-- Debra Hamel

"Hello. My name is Robert, and I haven't been dead for sixty-three days now."

That's the opening line of Love and Other Near-Death Experiences. The story of a guy named Rob and his attempts to get around a new found phobia about making decisions, since one made by chance happened to save his life. His fiance gives him an ultimatum to either get his life figured out or she wouldn't marry him. So he put his job on the line one night as a late night Jazz DJ to talk about his problems on the air, pouring out his feelings about his near death experience and his issues now even being able to choose what clothes to wear in the morning or whether to walk left or right around obstacles in his path, as who knew what choice would result in life or what one death?

In the end his late night admission opened a can of worms with internet bloggers grabbing the audio recording of the show and running with it, the radio station forums overflowing with supporters and bashers alike, and with other near-death survivors coming out of the wood work. Soon he finds himself in the middle of a crazy plot with fellow near-death survivors and trying to find out answers and make correct choices before time runs out.

I personally find the book absolutely hilarious, as it's intended to be. Lots of dry English wit, some admittedly funny jabs at Americans, and plenty of irony and humor to make this near-death tale have plenty of levity to keep you laughing all the way through, even while you are on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Also, you can't help but like the main character juxtaposed against the American character. I thought they made a great and humorous team and you couldn't help rooting for both of them throughout the book.

As I was reading it aloud to my husband, I had to watch where I read this book to him as it had a LOT of swearing, as one of the characters liked to use "all of the English language" to express herself and did so to great, and comedic, effect. Sometimes I thought it was a bit of overkill, but if you can get around that, and if you enjoy English humor, you will enjoy this book.

Though not my favorite Millington (see A Certain Chemistry) this is a highly enjoyable and laugh out loud kind of read.

This certainly had some laugh-out-loud moments! It was a very funny book, though I did enjoy _Things My Girlfriend & I Have Argued About_ more. Still, Mil Millington is a very talented writer, who creates witty dialogue and fun and wild plots. The characters were interesting and the plot was unique as a whole. I really enjoyed it!

I bought this book on a recommendation of another author. It takes a damn good book for another author to recommend.

First, a Public Service Announcement: Do not read this in public. It will make you laugh aloud (so your boss will realize you're reading at work), and put you at risk of snorting coffee through your nose and/or spitting it all over anyone nearby. Not to mention all those strange looks you'll get.

Like Millington's previous two books, Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, and A Certain Chemistry, Love and Other Near-Death Experiences had me laughing aloud every other page, frequently laughing so hard I'd have tears running down my face and I'd feel compelled to quote funny bits aloud to whoever was handy at the time.

But that's where the similarity ends. If possible, I think this is even better than the first two, and I absolutely loved the first two.

Late-night disk jockey Rob Garland is losing it. Ever since... okay, it's not a spoiler because it's all right there on the cover, but since I make it a policy not to read the back covers of books because I want to get the full effect, it was a little bit of suspense you won't get if I tell. Still, if you're reading this about a book you haven't read yet, you'd likely read the back of the book anyway, right? Okay, then. I feel better now. On we go. Ever since returning some towels made him late for a lunch interview, thereby saving his life when a tanker truck crashes into the restaurant, killing everyone inside, he's been crippled by indecision: which decision was it that saved his life? Was it returning the towels? Or was it buying the towels in the first place? Or maybe it was whatever made him turn and see the towels in the shop window. Or something even more mundane. And what about the future? What if choosing black over blue ink sets in motion the events that will end up killing him? What if it's the blue ink that does it? How can he choose?

It finally gets to be too much for him one night, and instead of playing jazz, he blurts out the whole story on-air. Rather than losing his job, though, he becomes instantly popular, and his show turns into a freak-show talk show with Rob as the main attraction.

But this isn't a case of talking making things better, and his fiancee Jo finally tells him the wedding is off unless he gets his act together, and Rob goes off on a quest, accompanied by three people who also didn't die when they should have: a young American soldier who's appointed himself Rob's bodyguard, an acerbic and suicidal 40-year-old English teacher, and a gorgeous young Welsh Wiccan woman with warnings about a group trying to wight...er, right... the wrongs of unwarranted survival.

I've always loved the butterfly-effect concept anyway--the idea that some minuscule detail could have a huge effect, and the idea that this otherwise normal person is literally paralyzed by indecision is compelling. We get pretty thoroughly inside Rob's head, and it's fascinating how normal a place that is.

There's the mystery and suspense--is someone really after them, or is that just psychological, too? And the developing and changing relationships between the characters--love and friendship and romance. And the slightly askew way of viewing it all that marks Millington's writing and would make me snort tea out my nose if I didn't know better than to drink while reading his books.

Just a complete joy to read.