One of our recommended books is I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney

I SEE YOU’VE CALLED IN DEAD


The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy in this coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life’s story. 

Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a “far more interesting” man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead.

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The Office meets Six Feet Under meets About a Boy in this coming-of-middle-age tale about having a second chance to write your life’s story. 

Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a “far more interesting” man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living. 

As Bud awaits his fate at work, his life hangs in the balance. Given another shot by his boss and encouraged by his best friend, Tim, a worldly and wise former art dealer, Bud starts to attend the wakes and funerals of strangers to learn how to live.

Thurber Prize-winner and New York Times bestselling author John Kenney tells a funny, touching story about life and death, about the search for meaning, about finding and never letting go of the preciousness of life.

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  • Zibby Publishing
  • Hardcover
  • April 2025
  • 304 Pages
  • 9798989923014

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$27.99

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About John Kenney

John Kenney is the author of I See You've Called in DeadJohn Kenney is the author of two novels and four books of poetry. His first novel, Truth In Advertising, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He is also the author of Talk to Me, which received a starred Kirkus review, and the New York Times bestseller Love Poems  for Married People. He is a long-time contributor to The New Yorker.

Praise

“There are writers I turn to when I need a guaranteed laugh, and John Kenney is certainly among them. But John is also on a shorter, more rarified list of writers who can evoke a laugh and make you feel alive. That’s no small feat given the title of his breathtaking new novel is I See You’ve Called in Dead. But that’s John. And you will love him.” Steven Rowley, author of The Celebrants

I See You’ve Called in Dead is a riotously funny, poignantly introspective novel that dives headfirst into the absurdity of existence. Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who gets everything wrongincluding accidentally publishing his own death notice.  From botched blind dates to philosophical musings about life and death, Bud grapples with love, legacy, and the existential (and satirical) weight of being alive. But seriously. . . read this, it is laugh out loud funny. Perfect for fans of dark, heartfelt comedy.” —Weike Wang, author of Rental House

“I loved this beautiful book so much I couldn’t put it down. Funny, charming, and so incredibly moving. I even cried. Ugh. John Kenney, what have you done to me?” —Gary Janetti, author of Do You Mind If I Cancel?: (Things That Still Annoy Me)

“John Kenney’s I See You’ve Called in Dead will be relatable to anyone who took the Talking Heads to heart and woke up thinking ‘How did I get here?’ His novel manages both heartbreaking loss and hilarious observational humor, while giving us a glimpse at the human condition, its unpredictable fleeting ecstasies, warts and all.”  Annabelle Gurwitch, author of You’re Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility

“Wise, wry, and heartfelt, I See You Called in Dead is the most life-affirming novel about death you’ll ever read—and possibly the funniest. Kenney takes his hero, a middle-aged obituary writer in a rut, on a bumpy odyssey toward understanding that grief and joy are inextricably linked, and to try to separate them is to miss out on truly living. I adored this book!” —Jane Roper, author of The Society of Shame

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