Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated by James Goodhand

Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

A Novel

James Goodhand

MIRA Books · Print & ebook · July 1, 2025

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Who it’s for
A mistaken-identity premise opens into reflection on the life Spike has left behind.
Themes
Kindness and human warmth, Isolation and reconnection, Second chances
Genres
Grief & Loss, Literary Fiction, Funny Fiction

About this book

“Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated blew me away. It is full of joy and human warmth and it has very wise things to say about the value of kindness. It immediately became one of my all-time favourite reads.” —Gareth Brown, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book of Doors Perfect for fans of The Dead Poets Society, It's A Wonderful Life, and A Man Called Ove. A lifetime ago, Ray “Spike” Thorns was a well-regarded caretaker on a boarding school’s grounds.

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These days, he lives the life of a recluse in a house rammed with hoarded junk, alone and disconnected from family or anyone he might have at one time considered a friend. When his next-door neighbor drops dead on Spike’s doorstep, a case of mistaken identity ensues: according to the police, the hospital, the doctors—everyone—Spike is dead. Spike wants to correct the mistake, really he does, but when confronted with those who knew him best, he hesitates, forced to face whatever impression he’s left on the world. It’s a discovery that brings him up close to ghosts from his past, and to the only woman he ever loved. Could it be that in coming face-to-face with his own demise, Spike is able to really live again? And will he be able to put things straight before the inevitable happens—his own funeral? The result is a beautiful look at life and what we would all do if given a second chance.

A Second Look

A mistaken-identity premise opens into reflection on the life Spike has left behind.

Come here for

  • A wry turn on mistaken identity and mortality
  • Questions about the impressions we leave on others

Expect

  • Reflection on regret, old connections, and second chances
  • A warm look at what it means to really live

Where it sits

Funny Fiction60%
Grief & Loss46%
Literary Fiction43%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Funny Fiction
  • Literary Fiction
  • Psychological Fiction
  • Contemporary Romance
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Coming-of-Age
  • Family Life
  • Absurdist Fiction
  • Small-Town Fiction
Authors
James Goodhand
Publisher
MIRA Books
Published
July 1, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Kindness and human warmth · Isolation and reconnection · Second chances
Reading lane
Funny Fiction