A woman with a successful career in child protection is floored by her husbands sudden death; a retired civil servant smothers his wife, but cant go through with their pact; a teacher fleeing a disastrous school trip finds himself literally in a dark wood.
Pascal famously said we shall die alone. But there are always others left behind to grieve, to cheer, to feel guilt, relief or laughter, because we are human, whether we like it or not. In these stories, a dozen characters find at least a dozen ways to live by facing death their own or that of those they love in familiar worlds shot through with a strange absurdity.
A man with cancer is employed to smoke by a character from a novel who may never have existed; an historian finds a love he hopes will last beyond the grave, even if it isnt his; a former judge dispenses justice in a prison camp; a randomly-selected Prime Minister confronts the biggest life-or-death decision she or anyone will ever have to take.
A Day Like Any Other explores death natural, assisted, promised and unexpected with compassion, wit, a steady gaze and a desire to confront the challenge we mostly prefer to avoid: why live at all? It is the perfect collection for anyone whos going to die one day.
