The Full Ridiculous

Finished February 8
The Full Ridiculous by Mark Lamprell

This humorous and touching novel follows Michael O'Dell a middle-aged man who is hit by a car while out doing his morning jog. He survives, but he begins to lose control of his life around the same time.
Michael has left his newspaper job in order to write a book, but his agent is having difficult selling it and this is putting financial pressure on the family. His daughter Rosie has a disagreement with a fellow student that slides into physical aggression. This causes both academic and legal troubles. His son Declan is struggling at school, and appears to have friends that exert the wrong kind of peer pressure, although he is taking a promising interest in film. A policeman with his own agenda seems to keep popping up their lives in a threatening way. Rosie's boyfriend Juan is living in their basement after being kicked out of his own home. And Michael's wife Wendy is trying to hold everything together while Michael gets himself back together.
This is a tale of an ordinary family that has a series of events overtake their lives. There is worry, grief, humour, and love. This is a family that cares about each other and that looks out for each other. His writing reminded me of Mark Haddon, whom I also love. A great read.