ARA Review by Janilou2016 of Final Notice

[Janilou2016]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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What would happen if people were given a notice via modern technology informing them of their imminent death based on their latest internal health information? Would people use this notice to say goodbye to their family and prepare their estate? Or would they go out and seek revenge against others who had done them wrong? Final Notice by Van Fleisher explores the issue of guns along with the interesting psychological debate of how people would react to being warned they are going to die.

This novel follows the stories of several people who receive the Final Notice in their new high tech VT2 watch. The Final Notice feature of this watch was being advertised to senior citizens at the same time the NRA was offering discounts to those seniors if they purchased guns. The scene of conflict and debate over who should have access to guns is quickly created.

Final Notice is a thought-provoking, fast paced story that kept me turning pages.

This novel should definitely be read by people on both sides of the gun debate. Whether people are for or against guns, they should at least be able to see one possible future outcome of a world where people were allowed to take care of themselves in this way. People in this novel who were supposed to be normal and law-abiding citizens changed when they were told that they were dying, and they had the ability to do whatever they wanted with access to the guns. I found it to be thought-provoking to say the least.

What I didn't like about this book? At times, it felt a little overwhelming trying to keep track of the multiple character's story lines with all the different events unfolding at once. I had to back-track once or twice so as not to lose track of who was doing what.

I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars because it was a well-written and thought-provoking read. It does come across as anti-gun in some ways, and yet I didn't feel the author was being unfair, because there are a lot of gun-related deaths in our country. The book explores several different issues regarding gun control and immigration, along with exploring mental health issues.
The pace picked up at the end with a totally unexpected and shocking twist revolving around one character when he develops an unusual illness and is forced to face his own "demons" so to speak and choose his ultimate destiny.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the gun debate, and in psychological thrillers.

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