Review by Beatus -- Final Notice by Van Fleisher

[Beatus]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Final Notice" by Van Fleisher.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

I recently bought a 40 acre farmland in the rural areas of Tanzania. Being a management consultant and Tanzania being part of feed the future initiative, I became interested in starting an agribusiness project. Every day when I wake up in the morning, my mind is ten to twenty years into the future. I imagine how the farm would look like when all the facilities are in place and everything is up and running. Now, when I was reading The Final Notice by Van Fleisher I thought to myself, What if I don't have twenty years? What would I do if I only had a week to live? Ha! What a question to ask oneself?

If you've never been in a situation that made you ask yourself such a question, then you may never understand how to think or feel about it. The book details all the doubts, fear, uncertainty, but also love, compassion, and understanding when faced with imminent death. The "Final Notice" is a message that a person receives from a cutting-edge technological watch-like health device. This device notifies you when you will actually die after analyzing your blood chemistry. The question is, with access to a gun, What will you do when you get this information? Van Fleisher did a marvelous job in answering this question. He developed very interesting scenarios and put together such relatable characters that may change the way you think about death and guns.

I really liked how the characters were developed. The author made it very interesting and easy to understand them. He structured the book around their feelings, intellects, and lifestyles. In fact, I saw nothing to dislike in this book. It provides a lot of insight into the lives of senior citizens in the US. The challenges they encounter as they go about their daily activities.

The author managed to really express his feelings and convictions about gun laws and made each character tackle the issue from a different angle. This made the book not only sensible but important. I think the book also provided a very detailed account on the consequences of "alternative facts," especially when they come from politicians.

Because everyone will surely die, at least until it's proven otherwise, then I would recommend this book for everyone. However, due to the violent scenes inside, I will have to advice restraint for those that are young and sensitive. The book seems to be meticulously edited and structured that I did not find any error whatsoever. This is the reason behind my rating it 4 out of 4 stars.

******
Final Notice
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes

Like Beatus's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

I'm glad you liked this one. I too enjoyed it. Congrats on your purchase in Tanzania. That was a very interesting tidbit to start your review with. I loved it.

[Nisha Ward]

I read another review of this book that touched on the gun issue, but you bring up a good point. What does one do with the knowledge of when you're going to die when you have one? Also, the tackling of alternative facts is quite interesting in terms of the possibilities it offers.

[Beatus]

I'm glad you liked this one. I too enjoyed it. Congrats on your purchase in Tanzania. That was a very interesting tidbit to start your review with. I loved it.

Thank you kandscreenly!

[Beatus]

I read another review of this book that touched on the gun issue, but you bring up a good point. What does one do with the knowledge of when you're going to die when you have one? Also, the tackling of alternative facts is quite interesting in terms of the possibilities it offers.

Thank you for passing by Nisha Ward. Thanks for the comment too.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

What an insightful opening statement! I agree. Unfortunately, I've faced many losses that made me think of my own mortality and the questions the novel raises are relevant for everybody. The social issues presented are especially important nowadays and I applaud how the author managed to keep the novel engaging while still approaching these hard subjects.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience, it enriches your review very much.

[Espie]

Would what we're currently doing still matter if we don't have any guarantee we'd last for long? I still couldn't find the right answers, but I do hope we'd all get to it and its significance sooner than later in our respective lives.

Congratulations and all the best on your new venture! Thank you for your insightful review.

[Anna180]

If I were to have a device like this, I would probably change all my perceptions of life... knowing exactly when you will die has two sides..a side that allows you to make a better you..and a side of overwhelming fear