Remarkably, and Maybe a Bit Surprisingly, Rewarding..........


At the outset this felt like it was going to be a variation on the Carl Hiaasen/Tim Dorsey type of Florida dark-comic crime novel. Our depressed hero, Seymour, is hired by a mysterious man to attend funerals and thus provide "professional grief services" to various clients, most of whom turn out to be mob families or dog owners. The hero is a middle aged sad sack with alcohol and grief issues of his own, and the mix of low comedy, farce, and self-loathing is initially uncomfortable.


But along the way Seymour learns to come to grips with grief, (over the death of his girlfriend), and learns how to begin to live a new, authentic life. There is a touch of magical realism and a weirdly engaging noir undercurrent that puts hope and despair into conflict even as the human comedy, sometimes reduced to slapstick, swirls around Seymour. Numerous characters guide Seymour through his grief and his understanding of life and death, and there is a touch of Dante and the Inferno, albeit set in Boca Raton, (which isn't a bad stand in, after all, for Hell).


What kind of book is this? It's humorous, it's philosophical, its romantic and dramatic, it's thoughtful, it's life positive. It's not just a goof and it's not typical Florida picaresque. This is a novel that has a scene in which mobsters gun down an alligator during a funeral service, while our hero simultaneously has a valid life-altering epiphany about the meaning of existence and the physics of grief. On top of that, some of the writing is drop dead gorgeous.


So, this book ended up being so much more than expected, and I'm delighted I said what-the-hell and gave it a try.


(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

A cover blurb describes The Physics of Grief as, “Good Fellas meets T.S. Eliot for a drink in an Irish pub.” It’s a good description for this novel’s quirky view of a topic typically shrouded in sadness: death and grieving.

Unable to get over the death of his girlfriend, Seymour (whose head we are in throughout the novel) is sitting in a coffee shop staring at the blank squares of his crossword puzzle when a stranger sits down at the table and says he has the perfect job for him. That perfect job is with Professional Grievers, a company that provides people to “fill the pews and what not” at a loved—or not so loved—ones wake and funeral.

Seymour quickly discovers these are not your average run of the mill event, but funerals for South Florida gangsters and those they’ve murdered. His work makes for a sometimes sinister, sometimes macabre, and often funny series of adventures. His longest, and most complex, job is for Milton Lasker, a former gangster who chooses Seymour, along with a giant bodyguard named Dasher, to be his confidants and clean-up guys for his end-of-life negotiations.

Despite the clientele, Seymour comes to not only love his work, but to recognize its importance. Working as a professional griever also helps him adopt a more healthy view of his own life, disappointments and losses.
The premise hooked me from the start. The dry, sarcastic humor and the depth of characters kept me reading. It’s clear that author Corrigan knows people as well as any high-dollar shrink. Everyone has secrets, and this writer opens her characters like vacuum-packed cans of nuts. This is not her first book, but it’s the first I’ve read, so go back and read the others and let me know how they compare. As for “The Physics of Grief,” It’s an original and fast read that will leave you thinking about it long after you’ve finished the book.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

I was provided a free copy of this text by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was strange and slow to read. Based on the premise, I expected a much different book. #disappointed

Overall the book was good. It follows Seymour as he starts a job as a professional griever. It tells a fun tale of all the adventures he has while working. I love the concept of a professional griever. It was interesting to see a book that included covid and mask wearing in day to day life. One thing is that in some parts the story jumped and it felt hard to understand whether it was present time or past time in the storyline. Other than that it’s a quick read and a pretty good book.

I loved reading this book. I still love it after I've finished. I love the characters, a crazy quilt of unique individuals with secrets. I was surprised that Mickey J Corrigan is a woman. Her author/first person narrator relationship reminds me of Richard Ford and Frank Bascombe with more humor. Don't read too much about The Physics of Grief. Just read the book. It's short.

This was the first time reading this author and I throughly enjoyed this book. Interesting read that holds your interest. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.