I wanted to like this book more than I did. I really enjoy books that explore grief and loss and death, so I requested this after reading the synopsis because I had a feeling I would love it. And it started off so strong. I was laughing out loud SO much in the beginning. However, the middle lost me. So much of the story feels like a stream of consciousness and I found the writing style to be quite chaotic. I really enjoyed the ending and the wrap up of Bud’s journey and lessons learned, but the path there wasn’t it for me. There were moments that worked, but on the whole I feel like the flow of the story could have used some finesse. I do think, given the narrator’s unique voice and humor, that this will work for a very specific reader looking for a sort of no-nonsense dark humor/depressed take on death and dying.

Thank you so much, Zibby Books and NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book was gorgeous. I expected the humor, but I did not expect to cry as often as I did. A beautiful tribute to life and death. Would recommend this to anyone who is ready to grapple with how grief comes at the cost of truly living.

The humor was as unique as the storyline with the narration being both suspenseful and surprising through the first half. Am intrigued to read more of the authors works.

Bud is a middle-aged, divorced obit writer who goes on a spectacularly bad blind date, gets drunk, and publishes his own wildly sensationalised obituary. His inevitable suspension from work causes him to have plenty of free time to meet new people, connect deeper with a faithful friend, and reflect on life and death.

I See You’ve Called in Dead is a beautiful example of literary fiction. Bud as a protagonist is endearing and easy to empathise with. The world is filled with realistic characters, good and bad. The author had taken a mundane career and industry that most people wouldn’t think about for most of their life, and built a whole life influenced by it. What I loved the most about this book is you’re promised a funny my-life-is-falling-apart narrative (which you get, don’t get me wrong) and suddenly you’ll be SOBBING. Through Bud, the author invokes deep reflection about how we as a collective and individuals treat death and the fear of being forgotten. I also enjoyed the characters being older than their 20’s like a lot of lit fic I read.

This book is perfect for those who read to feel connected to characters and reflect on their own emotions. The author expertly explores grief, of those who have died and those who have left us, and reminds us that it’s never too late to change your path.

Told with dark humor and a dash of macabre, I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD follows an obituary writer who discovers he wasn’t truly living but merely existing. After being fired from his job for publishing his own obituary in a moment of lapsed judgement, Bud Stanley finds himself attending the funerals of strangers.

Inspired by the grim wit of John Kenney’s brother prior to his death, this story is a celebration of friendship in many forms. Despite the morbidity, this story radiates warmth as Bud connects with an eclectic mix of characters I came to adore. He learns that we get to write the story of our own life each day.

Read this if you:
-wonder how has sped up while you weren’t looking
-believe that to really listen is to feel
-feel that life is a precious gift not to be wasted

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: April 1, 2025

Many thanks to Zibby Publishing for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where offbeat general fiction is popular.

Bud Stanley is a mid-life New Yorker who writes obituaries for a living. Trying to cope with the failures in his own life have left him fearful of trying to have a life at all. Feeling depressed and totally drunk one night, he writes his own outlandish obituary and mistakenly posts it to his publishing company's website. Getting called into HR the following day, Bud is sure that he's going to be fired, fortunately for Bud, the new computer system in HR cannot fire a dead employee and so he goes for weeks in a "dead but not dead" limbo.
During this time, he meets wheelchair bound Tim, who becomes his landlord and later best friend. Joining up with Clara, a woman who attends random funerals, the trio try to make sense of their lives by listening to the eulogies of those recently deceased. As their friendship builds, each of them comes to understand that living life includes death and to embrace the time that they have.
At times funny, heart-breaking, depressing and up-lifting, "I See You've Called in Dead" is a must-read. And don't miss the author's note by John Kenney about his brother Tom.

What would happen if you made one mistake to erase you from life? John Kenney tells a unique tale of accidentally, during one night of mistakes, writing his own obituary. Feeling sorry for himself and bored with his life he decides what crazy things he could say if he wrote about his own demise. Only to find out that in the light of day, he can't be fired from his obituary job because he made himself not exist. The novel follows along with the people in your life who are there to teach you lessons, whether they are that life is worth living or that you have more to offer than you think. Laugh out loud funny, with stories of strange hobbies, friendship in unexpected places, and meeting people at the right time. Life is what it is meant to be and finding the silver lining is always possible. Thank you Zibby Books for the advanced copy.

Beautifully written novel a book that stole my heart. I hated for this to end I hated to turn the last page.A memorable novel that I will be recommending.#netgalley #zibbybooks.

Loved, loved, loved this gem of a book. A little volume of genius. Straight to the heart for all the feels and a call to action to all mortals everywhere. Stirring and vibrant and lovely while still sitting quietly. Loved it.

His poetry is howlingly funny, the sort that when you read his work, you’re pretty much in awe of how he's able to capture the things that drive us crazy, the everyday, and turn them into acidic humor that makes us want to immediately tell our go-to people this is a must-read. His latest novel is a blend of just that kind of keenly observed sharp wit and surprising tender emotion.

Dear sweet Bud, an obituary writer, not exactly the job of his dreams (I have high regard for this job) has been struggling since his wife left him when he accidentally writes and publishes his own obituary (long story, thus, the book) let’s just say, things go awry, big time. In addition to the relentless teasing he and his acerbically witty obit-writing work partner dish back-and-forth and his laconic boss, someone he admires and now deeply disappointed in Bud, it’s the gripping once-in-a-lifetime relationship with his best friend and landlord whose outlook on life based on circumstances far different from Bud’s that just might be the impetus for the direction he needs to make post-colossal mistake. Have you ever been so entertained and touched by two characters that you wished they were real? I have and did while reading these two. I laughed and gosh, did I cry. Great big sobbing tears that I practically choked on. This story moved me in multiple ways, and I know it will be the same for anyone who reads it. It would be impossible not to.

I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD is a hilarious and heartbreaking account honoring life, living life, an exploration of friendship and death, that will leave you overcome with feeling. My kind of book.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Zibby Books for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

At first I thought this book would be heavy for me to read since I recently lost my dad. However, as I read Kenney's story, I laughed and became filled with hope for my future. Other people's lives inspired me to continue on with my goals and experiences for an enjoyable life. Kenney portrayed grief, friendship, self-discovery, and writing in ways that captivated my attention. Thanks to NetGalley and Zibby Books for the ARC.