ARA Review by JRRRjimHARDISON of Final Notice

[JRRRjimHARDISON]

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Final Notice.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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FINAL NOTICE by Van Fleisher


In the near future/almost right now, a watch-style health-tracking device is invented that can sense with almost perfect accuracy if you are going to die within the next 30 days. When the VT2 watch detects your upcoming demise, it sends a “final notice” to let you know. This is, ostensibly, so that you can put your affairs in order and say goodbye to your loved ones but that’s not how everyone deals with it. Some people, particularly gun owners, react to their final notices by going out and taking vengeance on those who have wronged them. The book Final Notice follows an array of characters, from its senior-citizen protagonists Vince and Trudi Fuller, to a state senator, to an unemployed trucker as they interact with this new technology and decide what to do when facing their own mortality. Will they make a decent, positive end of things, or will they go out guns blazing?


I enjoyed Final Notice. It’s characters and events were familiar, clearly drawn from our current real-world situation and charged political climate, but still fresh and engaging. As the book progresses and we see the stories of various secondary characters play out, the question of whether Vince and Trudi’s journeys will end on positive or negative notes grows more suspenseful and urgent.


The story weaves together many threads and characters but the plot and character development are solid and never become confusing. Although the book occasionally feels like it’s bordering on turning into a series of episodes loosely held together by the final-notice-death alarm, Vince and Trudi make a nice through-line that keeps everything anchored. I found their perspectives and choices believable and relatable.


On that note, there is a fairly strong anti-gun, pro-immigration, liberal viewpoint at the heart of Final Notice that might alienate some readers. I thought that, on the whole, it presented its case in a thoughtful and well-considered way even though it does take some pretty explicit pot shots at some thinly-veiled real-world politicians, public figures and media outlets. If that kind of thing bothers you, you might want to avoid this book.


In terms of drawbacks, there are only a few. Right out of the gate, I didn’t find the explanation of how a smart-watch could accurately predict impending death a month in advance convincing—nor the idea that once a person had been made aware that they were going to die there was nothing they could do to change their fate. Since the whole book hinges on that premise, I would have been happier if it had been more believable. After grudgingly suspending my disbelief, however, I did find the book to be a fast, fun read. Additional, somewhat more convincing details about the technology are eventually revealed, but not until almost three quarters of the way through. Another minor negative for me was that some of the secondary character’s stories are interesting but not emotionally engaging. They read a bit more like newspaper accounts than immersive story. And finally, there were a few minor editing issues like grammatical and typographical errors. Nothing excessive, but enough that I noticed them.


I give Final Notice 4 out of 5 stars. Although its minor flaws and weaknesses made me consider a 3 star rating, I found it more enjoyable and entertaining than that. It didn’t make it to the level of 5 stars, however. If, like me, you don’t mind a dose of liberal politics and a dash of science-fiction mixed in with your crime thrillers, Final Notice is a solid read.

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