A bizarre case of mistaken identity upends the quiet, solitary world of James Goodhand's charming protagonist in Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, a contemporary British drama brimming with humor and heart. With a title inspired by a Mark Twain quotation, Goodhand's tender novel is a testament to the power of small acts of kindness to have significant, lasting impact on young lives.
Shy and awkward septuagenarian narrator Ray Thorns shines in situations where he can assist others, such as his 39 years as caretaker at a fancy boarding school to help struggling students find their way. Since then, he's led a content but isolated existence, dwelling mostly in the past and reminiscing about Junie, the woman he almost married 50 years ago.
Goodhand (The Day Tripper) has an eye for the absurd in his engaging narrative. When Ray's neighbor dies suddenly, the authorities assume it was Ray who died. He half-heartedly tries to set the record straight, but it's really quite a relief to be thought of as dead. Matters get more complicated and more comical when Ray's estranged brother, Denny, and Denny's ne'er-do-well son, Steven, start poking around Ray's South London house.
Being presumed dead is full of surprises, revealing not only Ray's legacy from his humble caretaking years but also bringing him closer to those he thought he had lost. What he ultimately decides to do, even as he overhears plans for his own funeral, forms the plot of this profoundly moving novel. --Shahina Piyarali