Review: Thank You, Goodnight by Andy Abramowitz
Note: This ebook was provided by Touchstone via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Teddy Tremble's life is what you'd call ordinary and comfortable: he's a lawyer living in a condo with the woman who could very well be "the one" if he actually spent more time thinking about the status of their relationship. All that changes when an old friend tells him to head to a museum in London to see what his legacy looks like. And there, as part of an exhibit entitled "Faded Glory: Where Do They Go When They Have Nowhere to Go?" was his photo. You see, Teddy's life was far from ordinary years ago, when he was part of Tremble and had a hit song. He refuses to have Tremble be yet another one-hit wonder in the music industry. But can he really get his three former band mates back on board for another album and once he does, will they be able to finally re-create the kind of legacy they can look back on with dignity?
Thank You, Goodnight is a humorous look at the life we lead and taking the chance to re-write history as the rest of the world knows it, hoping that it'll turn out better a second time around. This debut novel by Andy Abramowitz has a story that anyone who's had a dream of theirs begin with a "boom!" only to end with a "pfft!" Given the opportunity to do it over again, wouldn't you do things differently and hope for an outcome that will have you thinking that you actually did a good job? When his supposed legacy is staring back at him in, of all places, a London museum, lead character Teddy Tremble doesn't like what he sees. Of course, he could have chosen to simply turn his back and go back to the life he was leading, not allowing himself to be affected by the opinion of one photographer. But then he decides to do something about it...
When we're in our teens and twenties, we try to figure out what it is we want to do with our lives. When we hit our thirties, we start wondering if what we're actually doing is what we want to do with the rest of our lives. It was easy for me to empathize with what Teddy was going through in the book because I've hit that point where I need to decide if I want to keep muddling along with whatever the heck it is I'm doing or if I want to take my chances and do something I'm passionate about. You don't need to be a musician to relate to the story or the lead character. You simply need to be someone on your own journey, seeking that niche that makes you feel fulfilled and completes you. This is a whimsical and intelligent look at one's life and discovering that it may not be too late to turn "what could have been" into "what is" and "what will be".
It's difficult to find something wrong about this book and the fact that it's a debut novel had me doubly impressed with it. If Andy Abramowitz has more stories to tell us and with a gift like his, I highly doubt that he's going to turn out to be a one-hit wonder. There are some books that simply capture your attention and imagination from the get-go and with a story as engaging as this one and with characters you couldn't help but want to hang out as they re-discovered themselves, Thank You, Goodnight hit all the right notes (pun intended). This is one book I would highly recommend to anyone interested in a book that packs a punch with its wit and introspection and can spot a gem of a read when it's in front of them. I look forward to seeing what Andy Abramowitz has for us next. For now, his initial offering gets five stars. ♥
Date Read: 02 July 2015
Learn more about Andy Abramowitz here.
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