Book Review: Death Wins a Goldfish by Brian Rea

Death Wins a Goldfish: Reflections From a Grim Reaper's Yearlong Sabbatical written and illustrated by Brian Rea

One of the Grim Reapers at Death, Inc., hasn't taken any time off. Human Resources sends him a note that he has to take his accumulated leave which means Death has a whole year off (though his other co-workers will take up the slack). At first, he's puzzled about what to do. He makes a list of things to try out. He goes through the typical cycle of activities (going to the county fair and winning a gold fish; trying out dating via an app; etc.). He also tries to find some meaning through living a leisurely life. When he gets back to work, he has some new perspectives on living that he didn't have before.

The book is half-comedic and half-winsome. It reads very quickly and can be taken as light entertainment. Death comes to the totally trite insight that spending quality time with others is important. Maybe you are one of the people that hasn't discovered this but I'd like to think that most people already know. Not spending more time at work is never a regret for anyone.

The comedy works well enough and the book is short enough to make it a fun, lightweight experience. The art is unimpressive--simple line drawings and coloring that look more like doodles then deliberate drawing. The style is probably meant to give a lighter tone. The only image I spent any time looking at was the long list of things Death might do on his time off.

Slightly recommended.