Nathan has it all, a celebrity lifestyle, lots of money, a wonderful house and a model girlfriend. He has just agreed to sell his children’s characters that he created for lots of money and life as it seems couldn’t be much better.
However one day whilst in bed with his girlfriend, Nathan starts talking funny and making no sense before he blacks out. He decides to get this checked out with his doctor and is diagnosed with a Inoperable and untreatable Cerebrodondreglioma which is a benign tumour on his brain (which later becomes known as Grumpy Herman aptly named after one of his Foodie Characters). He falls apart at his shocking news and doesn’t know what to do, oftenly drinking himself into a stupor.
What transpires is a sometimes funny story of how Nathan rethinks the time he has got left and how he feels he is going to miss out on so much with his life being cut short. Out goes the model girlfriend and initially in comes the drink and drugs before friends and family attempt to help him out and encourage various forms of therapy and coping strategies including standing outside Primark and hitting a man with a foam bat, travelling to a remote farm where the owners believe in free love, trying herbal remedies that he has an allergic reaction too, visiting a donkey sanctuary and donating £20,000 to and, going to an evangelist who tries to con him out of money.
Along the way he meets Alli who he falls for very quickly. Alli is so different to his past girlfriends but he can’t bring himself to tell her what is wrong with him due to his fear of losing her amd her running a mile. Their relationship blossoms but eventually whilst visiting her grandad with Nathan, Alli unwittingly finds out about his tumour. She needs time to think and Nathan thinks he has lost her forever.
The question is does Alli come back and does Nathan survive long enough for them to forgive and forget and make the most of any time he has left.
At times this was a quite funny read (the visit to the donkey sanctuary was my highlight) but at other times I found the story line very predictable. This is probably a book more for a guy to read than a lady as is a male equivalent of a chick flick. Having said that ladies if you have an open mind you could read this (my guilty pleasure is reading a Milly Johnson book). As a rating out of ten I would give Checking Out a 6.
So when to read this on a cruise. Well it is without doubt one of those books to read whilst you are out relaxing on a sun lounger on a hot sunny sea day. You will probably find that you can read this book relatively quickly on holiday giving you time to read another book or two on holiday.
Personally I’ll keep an eye out for future Nick books but wonder if after looking at his website ( http://www.nickspalding.com/p/checking-out.html ) and his back catalogue they could be a bit samey.
So next up is one of my favourite authors, in Irvine Welsh with Dead Man’s Trousers. This is the latest instalment of following the Trainspotting Boys of Renton, Begbie, Spud and Sick Boy.
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