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My Dead Friend Sarah: A Novel
Mere months into recovery, Max, an alcoholic with twisted control issues, meets Sarah – the same woman that for years he’s habitually dreamt will die after a botched abduction. "Doing the next right thing," a popular AA phrase he’s picked up in the rooms, means befriending Sarah long enough to warn her and hope she takes him seriously. But when Sarah falls in love with Max, his newly sober thinking drives him to choose his overly devoted wife, and he abandons Sarah – even when it condemns her to death. When Sarah goes missing, the NYPD suspects Max’s dream may have been a pre-crime confession. The truth, all of it, lurks inside of Max, but only by drinking again does he recapture the nerve and clarity vital to free his wife, sponsor, and himself from a life imprisoned by lies.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2012
29 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Peter Rosch
8 books163 followersPeter Rosch is the author of What The Dead Can Do, Future Skinny, But I Love You, and My Dead Friend Sarah, and other dark fictions, many born from the addictions he chased while living in New York City. He’s sober now but remains an addict’s addict: he can turn anything fun into a serious problem.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
May 6, 2012
My name is _____ and I'm a twisted story addict. Not because I'm disturbed, but because I love to sink my teeth into something that can actually make me feel anything. As the typical NYT bestsellers too often lack the grit and substance I'm craving, what a warm and disturbing welcome it was to find "My dead friend Sarah".
With a huge pile of books I've started yet can't bring myself to finish, suffice it to say I'm a tough critic. Even recents from my book God, Chuck Palahniuk, have ceased to make the cut. Well hello, thriller. Peter Rosch's novel has the tremendous ability of sucking you into his dark little world from page one, but more importantly, keeping intensely interested throughout the journey. And what a wild trip it was.
His character development was so good, I wanted more. I could have easily absorbed 100 more pages on these two characters - Max and Sarah - each telling their stories through distinct and twisted voices. I was impressed how he deep he delved into the minds of these highly believable, often tortured, male and female characters.
I found myself feeling sorry for, repulsed by and endeared to each of these characters repeatedly, and found it brilliant the author was able to create such strong conflicting emotions towards both, confusing me as to who I was rooting for and what I was willing the outcome to be, from one chapter to the next. I often wanted to grab one or the other and shake some sense into them.
Max's character is a master of making excuses, not taking responsibilities for his actions or how they destroy the people that love him most, and living in a very controlled - or lack of controlled, as we learn - world of denial. If you've been in a relationship with or had a family member or friend that was an addict - as I have - it's an all too familiar story. Peter really brings to life the constant struggle and destruction this type of person can have on themselves and everyone around them. He demonstrates so accurately the ways in which a "dry" alcoholic can be worse than a sober one. And the lies addicts will continue to tell to convince themselves and others they really are doing the next right thing. Though one can empathize, you want to pull Max off this path before he brings everyone down with him. But as many of us know, that seldom happens until one hits rock bottom. Sometimes, hitting it again and again.
It's that special kind of love / hate novel worth putting all previous plans aside for, and tearing through the wee hours at warp speed, only to find yourself reading those last bits in slow motion. Both, because you'll be scared to know what happens, and because you never want it to end. Nevermind that this would be an impressive first novel by any author. It's a suspenseful, deep and emotional novel, period. Write, text or smoke signal your friends about this one. It's not to be missed.
With a huge pile of books I've started yet can't bring myself to finish, suffice it to say I'm a tough critic. Even recents from my book God, Chuck Palahniuk, have ceased to make the cut. Well hello, thriller. Peter Rosch's novel has the tremendous ability of sucking you into his dark little world from page one, but more importantly, keeping intensely interested throughout the journey. And what a wild trip it was.
His character development was so good, I wanted more. I could have easily absorbed 100 more pages on these two characters - Max and Sarah - each telling their stories through distinct and twisted voices. I was impressed how he deep he delved into the minds of these highly believable, often tortured, male and female characters.
I found myself feeling sorry for, repulsed by and endeared to each of these characters repeatedly, and found it brilliant the author was able to create such strong conflicting emotions towards both, confusing me as to who I was rooting for and what I was willing the outcome to be, from one chapter to the next. I often wanted to grab one or the other and shake some sense into them.
Max's character is a master of making excuses, not taking responsibilities for his actions or how they destroy the people that love him most, and living in a very controlled - or lack of controlled, as we learn - world of denial. If you've been in a relationship with or had a family member or friend that was an addict - as I have - it's an all too familiar story. Peter really brings to life the constant struggle and destruction this type of person can have on themselves and everyone around them. He demonstrates so accurately the ways in which a "dry" alcoholic can be worse than a sober one. And the lies addicts will continue to tell to convince themselves and others they really are doing the next right thing. Though one can empathize, you want to pull Max off this path before he brings everyone down with him. But as many of us know, that seldom happens until one hits rock bottom. Sometimes, hitting it again and again.
It's that special kind of love / hate novel worth putting all previous plans aside for, and tearing through the wee hours at warp speed, only to find yourself reading those last bits in slow motion. Both, because you'll be scared to know what happens, and because you never want it to end. Nevermind that this would be an impressive first novel by any author. It's a suspenseful, deep and emotional novel, period. Write, text or smoke signal your friends about this one. It's not to be missed.
June 1, 2012
This is a suspenseful story that takes you through a tour of the gritty rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York City. The relationships that form in and around these rooms have a certain feel to them, and Peter captures this very well. These kinds of friendships have a certain transitory yet deep and profound nature to them. The trust between recovering alcoholics is nearly blind, and therefore, well, I don't want to say more or I will spoil the story. But the trust in and around those rooms can be too blind.
Then there is the nature of alcoholics. They are self-centered and manipulative. They drag everyone else into their drama, and this is very well shown in this novel. The codependency of those around them; their friends, family and spouses live their lives vicariously through them. In this story, this is what happens to Max. Everyone around him either enables, tries to control, tries to change or martyrs themselves for Max. Max then feels all the guilt of what he's done to mess up other people's lives, but can't see that he is not responsible for their actions. This drama that is played out in so many homes and family circles is well illustrated in My Dead Friend Sarah. You just about practically want to step into the story and shake the characters by the shoulders and shout some recovery wisdom or plain old common sense to them.
I especially recommend this book to anyone who is in recovery, because it helps them to take a look at their own sobriety. What is it they want from their sobriety. Again, not to give a spoiler, I felt a deep sense of connection with the characters in this story, and related to what happened to them. I highly recommend this story, and think you will definitely find it worth your time to read. It is informative, in the sense that you get to know a new world, the underworld of the rooms of AA in New York City. It made me want to go to some of those meetings, and it made me feel as if I already had! It has a great story, a mystery, with a love interest, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested.
Then there is the nature of alcoholics. They are self-centered and manipulative. They drag everyone else into their drama, and this is very well shown in this novel. The codependency of those around them; their friends, family and spouses live their lives vicariously through them. In this story, this is what happens to Max. Everyone around him either enables, tries to control, tries to change or martyrs themselves for Max. Max then feels all the guilt of what he's done to mess up other people's lives, but can't see that he is not responsible for their actions. This drama that is played out in so many homes and family circles is well illustrated in My Dead Friend Sarah. You just about practically want to step into the story and shake the characters by the shoulders and shout some recovery wisdom or plain old common sense to them.
I especially recommend this book to anyone who is in recovery, because it helps them to take a look at their own sobriety. What is it they want from their sobriety. Again, not to give a spoiler, I felt a deep sense of connection with the characters in this story, and related to what happened to them. I highly recommend this story, and think you will definitely find it worth your time to read. It is informative, in the sense that you get to know a new world, the underworld of the rooms of AA in New York City. It made me want to go to some of those meetings, and it made me feel as if I already had! It has a great story, a mystery, with a love interest, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested.
June 20, 2012
I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK!
Be Warned, I am not a skilled author, writer, critic, blogger nor a member of the self-proclaimed grammar policia! I am an average Jane that loves to read for pleasure. I choose books for all the wrong reasons (covers and titles). I am guilty!
Now with all of my credentials laid out, I will keep this simple. If you are into happy endings and lusting romance, RUN. No seriously, RUN FAST. This book is wickedly psychotic. For me, both main characters are unidentifiable. Max is a recovering alcoholic and Sarah is, well, she is downright disturbed. (Ok, well maybe I can relate to Sarah just a wee bit) I mean come on Sarah, you don’t even get his phone number. RED FLAGS are waving all over the place.
I was truly rooting for Max's sobriety. Though, I think I preferred him drunk. He appeared notably authentic.
This book had me wanting to reach into my kindle and grab the couple by the necks. I wanted to first slap them silly and then follow up with a few of my swift karate kicks (self taught by the way) to their torsos. Errrrr, the rage! I just wished they hadn't taken life for granted.
I think this quote sums up my relationship with this novel (and I think I can speak for Max and Sarah as well):
“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.” — Robert Fulghum
So if your mind is definitely twisted, then read on.....
Be Warned, I am not a skilled author, writer, critic, blogger nor a member of the self-proclaimed grammar policia! I am an average Jane that loves to read for pleasure. I choose books for all the wrong reasons (covers and titles). I am guilty!
Now with all of my credentials laid out, I will keep this simple. If you are into happy endings and lusting romance, RUN. No seriously, RUN FAST. This book is wickedly psychotic. For me, both main characters are unidentifiable. Max is a recovering alcoholic and Sarah is, well, she is downright disturbed. (Ok, well maybe I can relate to Sarah just a wee bit) I mean come on Sarah, you don’t even get his phone number. RED FLAGS are waving all over the place.
I was truly rooting for Max's sobriety. Though, I think I preferred him drunk. He appeared notably authentic.
This book had me wanting to reach into my kindle and grab the couple by the necks. I wanted to first slap them silly and then follow up with a few of my swift karate kicks (self taught by the way) to their torsos. Errrrr, the rage! I just wished they hadn't taken life for granted.
I think this quote sums up my relationship with this novel (and I think I can speak for Max and Sarah as well):
“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.” — Robert Fulghum
So if your mind is definitely twisted, then read on.....
July 11, 2012
The narrator alternated with each chapter between Max and Sarah. Max is a marrried, recovering alcoholic that dreams a stanger named Sarah gets kidnapped and then killed. He befriends her with the intention of telling her this so she can protect herself but she falls in love with him so he stops seeing her so he doesn't ruin his marriage. There is a whole police investigation and all.
I did not like Max, nor Sarah, nor Max's wife Rachel. Max spent the whole book giving us a lesson on how alcoholics think and manipulate others. Sarah was psychotic who hallucinated seeing her dead mother. She purposely toyed with her psychologist by never really telling her the truth. This was all blamed on what her mom had taught her about not trusting people. She loves Max after a few weeks of meeting with him and even more weeks of him just following her like a creep. And Rachel plays a saint of a wife who proudly stands by her husband unbothered by his alcoholism, infidelity, and lies. Who are these people? They don't seem believable. They all seem self absorbed. No wonder no one is happy. They are the ones that make their own lives miserable. I didn't feel sorry for any of them.
A very self absorbed book that ended up going no where with an ending that didn't provide any closure.
I did not like Max, nor Sarah, nor Max's wife Rachel. Max spent the whole book giving us a lesson on how alcoholics think and manipulate others. Sarah was psychotic who hallucinated seeing her dead mother. She purposely toyed with her psychologist by never really telling her the truth. This was all blamed on what her mom had taught her about not trusting people. She loves Max after a few weeks of meeting with him and even more weeks of him just following her like a creep. And Rachel plays a saint of a wife who proudly stands by her husband unbothered by his alcoholism, infidelity, and lies. Who are these people? They don't seem believable. They all seem self absorbed. No wonder no one is happy. They are the ones that make their own lives miserable. I didn't feel sorry for any of them.
A very self absorbed book that ended up going no where with an ending that didn't provide any closure.
April 18, 2012
this book is something special. it's a great premise, and extremely well thought out and well written. at no point was i bored, at no point did i have to go back and re-read something because i just wasn't paying attention - i was hung on every word. it took me no time at all to read, and not because it's short or dumbed down, it's just that interesting. i couldn't wait for little breaks in my day to pull out my kindle and get a little more in. if you like things like Fight Club, you can't go wrong here. it takes you into the mind of an alcoholic, if you've ever wondered or maybe had a family member who was an alcoholic or in recovery or maybe are recovering your self, you will learn about this disease and learn something about your self - guaranteed.
May 15, 2012
The premise of this novel, the characters, the set up, made me download with grand anticipation, and the novel did not fail to deliver. My Dead Friend Sarah is a smart and unique read that traces the thoughts of a newly recovering alcoholic who tries to respond in his new integrity-driven self to a reoccurring dream of a woman being taken captive. In trying to do the next right thing, the question is, has his sickness been squeezed right back out of him?
There's a million AA memoirs where the main character, in finally resisting those urges to drink, stays sober and his family rushes to his side, the music plays, and now that the drink is gone, they live happily ever after. Well, as many folks will tell you, the real craziness begins once the drink is put down. What do you get when a horse-thief stops drinking? Well, you get a sober horse-thief, as the saying goes, and if you have ever been "in the rooms' the authors descriptions of AA in the novel are incredible and worth a read by themselves.
The novel beings with a ping-pong of narrators between Max, the main character, and Sarah, the object of his bizarre dreams. The back and forth was fun, but as it went on, it did begin to get a bit tiring, mostly because I feared the whole novel would be this way, but just as it got too much Sarah disappeared and so did her narrative. The reader, like Max, is left wondering where she went.
The novel takes place in the mental topography of Max whose brain is a great place to visit. The more his thought processes began to spiral, the more the reader gets sucked in. It was like reading an Edgar Allan Poe story, trying to figure out if the main character is mad. You sort of think he's mad, yet you find yourself having empathy for his wild self-talk. The more I explored the terrain of his brain, the more I wanted to hear him think.
I kind of have an `in' with the topic, with my personal history of addiction recovery, working in the field of addiction, and writing my own novel of addiction. I'm thinking that if you have never waited for a liquor store to open then you would still love the novel, perhaps subtract a star, but if you are a Chuck Pahalniuk fan, add that star right back.
Ultimately, the real test of any book for me is my level of enthusiasm in reading. Did I eagerly look forward to those reading moments? Did I make extra time to fit in a page or two in between the rest of my living? Did I make sure to swing by and grab the kindle when nature called? This novel hit all of those. In fact, I dangerously gave my wife a hushing noise as she tried to ask me a question during the last pages. This novel is a great dish of work told by an untrustworthy narrator, and it is fed to the reader in great bite-sized morsels.
There's a million AA memoirs where the main character, in finally resisting those urges to drink, stays sober and his family rushes to his side, the music plays, and now that the drink is gone, they live happily ever after. Well, as many folks will tell you, the real craziness begins once the drink is put down. What do you get when a horse-thief stops drinking? Well, you get a sober horse-thief, as the saying goes, and if you have ever been "in the rooms' the authors descriptions of AA in the novel are incredible and worth a read by themselves.
The novel beings with a ping-pong of narrators between Max, the main character, and Sarah, the object of his bizarre dreams. The back and forth was fun, but as it went on, it did begin to get a bit tiring, mostly because I feared the whole novel would be this way, but just as it got too much Sarah disappeared and so did her narrative. The reader, like Max, is left wondering where she went.
The novel takes place in the mental topography of Max whose brain is a great place to visit. The more his thought processes began to spiral, the more the reader gets sucked in. It was like reading an Edgar Allan Poe story, trying to figure out if the main character is mad. You sort of think he's mad, yet you find yourself having empathy for his wild self-talk. The more I explored the terrain of his brain, the more I wanted to hear him think.
I kind of have an `in' with the topic, with my personal history of addiction recovery, working in the field of addiction, and writing my own novel of addiction. I'm thinking that if you have never waited for a liquor store to open then you would still love the novel, perhaps subtract a star, but if you are a Chuck Pahalniuk fan, add that star right back.
Ultimately, the real test of any book for me is my level of enthusiasm in reading. Did I eagerly look forward to those reading moments? Did I make extra time to fit in a page or two in between the rest of my living? Did I make sure to swing by and grab the kindle when nature called? This novel hit all of those. In fact, I dangerously gave my wife a hushing noise as she tried to ask me a question during the last pages. This novel is a great dish of work told by an untrustworthy narrator, and it is fed to the reader in great bite-sized morsels.
May 28, 2012
Only a drunk could write such an addictive book.
I wanted to hold out and make it last. I was on vacation and had 7 days. Based on the reviews this was a well written book, perfect for someone newly sober but still addicted to good thrillers. I wanted to savor the pages and spend the week enjoying the book. Mr. Rosch would not allow me to do that. Around page 39 this book gripped me, took hold of me like the third drink would do at a bar. And just like that, I spent the first day of my vacation with my head buried in the book and, luckily, found my self finishing the book at 4 in the morning rather than my last beer at the bar. I didn't feel comfortable hitting meetings where I was on vacation but this book read like the many stories I hear in the rooms, and gave me some much needed support.
But even if you are a normie you will love this book. If I had to sum it up in one word. Beautiful. Beautiful in the lies that try to take your sobriety away. Beautiful in it's ugliness in showing the real human crap we go through in life. Beautiful in the way it grips you and won't let you go. You don't have have an addictive personality to get addicted to this book.
I wanted to hold out and make it last. I was on vacation and had 7 days. Based on the reviews this was a well written book, perfect for someone newly sober but still addicted to good thrillers. I wanted to savor the pages and spend the week enjoying the book. Mr. Rosch would not allow me to do that. Around page 39 this book gripped me, took hold of me like the third drink would do at a bar. And just like that, I spent the first day of my vacation with my head buried in the book and, luckily, found my self finishing the book at 4 in the morning rather than my last beer at the bar. I didn't feel comfortable hitting meetings where I was on vacation but this book read like the many stories I hear in the rooms, and gave me some much needed support.
But even if you are a normie you will love this book. If I had to sum it up in one word. Beautiful. Beautiful in the lies that try to take your sobriety away. Beautiful in it's ugliness in showing the real human crap we go through in life. Beautiful in the way it grips you and won't let you go. You don't have have an addictive personality to get addicted to this book.
May 1, 2012
A diabolical love story
An appropriately inappropriate narrative in which you equally love and loathe every character. Be forewarned, as moments of self-reflection are inevitable...while maybe you never actually acted upon similarly revolting human impulses, you've definitely been tempted and if only for a moment paused for consideration. And of course a story that incorporates the word: shenanigans (my all time favorite) is always a good thing. Read it before it becomes a movie - the book is always far better.
An appropriately inappropriate narrative in which you equally love and loathe every character. Be forewarned, as moments of self-reflection are inevitable...while maybe you never actually acted upon similarly revolting human impulses, you've definitely been tempted and if only for a moment paused for consideration. And of course a story that incorporates the word: shenanigans (my all time favorite) is always a good thing. Read it before it becomes a movie - the book is always far better.
February 10, 2013
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
So here's the thing. As another reviewer said, "this book isn't so much about a dead girl named Sarah as it is about an alcoholic named Max." My Dead Friend Sarah is technically a mystery, but really is about the protagonist's personal development (or unraveling, depending on your point of view).
Max, a raging alcoholic who has been sober for several months, has had recurring dreams of a woman he's never met being abducted and, in that way you "just know" things in your dreams, ultimately is killed. When he sees the woman he's been dreaming about, he's compelled to try to warn her.
Of course you can't just roll up on a stranger and say "hey, you're gonna die!" so he plans to get to know her, gaining her trust so that he can warn her, and hopefully perhaps even save her,or at least get clues about who might want to harm her. This is about the only good decision that Max makes. Max is one of those people who just makes outrageously bad decisions, and so his noble quest is complicated by his own utter lack of rationality.
It's hard to get into at first. It's told from alternating POVs between Sarah and Max, and also alternates between past and present. Max and Sarah appear to have very different takes on what they were to each other, complicating the story even more. And while at first you think you're reading to find out what happened to Sarah, ultimately, the book becomes a tale about Max trying - and sometimes failing - to be an adult in a world in which he constantly feels like an inadequate failure. It's also frustrating. Because while I found Max to be a fascinating character, I thought I was reading a mystery of some sort. So it took a while for me to appreciate this for what it's really was - a character study.
It's not for everyone. Sarah, IMO, isn't likeable. For most of the story, I found the best I could say about Max was that I didn't hate him. Max's wife, Rachel, I found hard to find sympathy for, because she seemed to play the martyr. But, as a character study, it works. Every character is flawed, dysfunctionally so, but their behavior isn't excused or downplayed. (Well Sarah does, but on some level she knows that a lot of what she's doing is BS).
What I appreciated is that the author doesn't try to force you to like or hate any of the characters, he leaves you free to reach your own judgments. Eventually I came to like Max, despite the frustration I felt at his decisions. He isn't whiny or full of excuses, he's just a guy who can't seem to get his shit together. And who among us hasn't been there?
So here's the thing. As another reviewer said, "this book isn't so much about a dead girl named Sarah as it is about an alcoholic named Max." My Dead Friend Sarah is technically a mystery, but really is about the protagonist's personal development (or unraveling, depending on your point of view).
Max, a raging alcoholic who has been sober for several months, has had recurring dreams of a woman he's never met being abducted and, in that way you "just know" things in your dreams, ultimately is killed. When he sees the woman he's been dreaming about, he's compelled to try to warn her.
Of course you can't just roll up on a stranger and say "hey, you're gonna die!" so he plans to get to know her, gaining her trust so that he can warn her, and hopefully perhaps even save her,or at least get clues about who might want to harm her. This is about the only good decision that Max makes. Max is one of those people who just makes outrageously bad decisions, and so his noble quest is complicated by his own utter lack of rationality.
It's hard to get into at first. It's told from alternating POVs between Sarah and Max, and also alternates between past and present. Max and Sarah appear to have very different takes on what they were to each other, complicating the story even more. And while at first you think you're reading to find out what happened to Sarah, ultimately, the book becomes a tale about Max trying - and sometimes failing - to be an adult in a world in which he constantly feels like an inadequate failure. It's also frustrating. Because while I found Max to be a fascinating character, I thought I was reading a mystery of some sort. So it took a while for me to appreciate this for what it's really was - a character study.
It's not for everyone. Sarah, IMO, isn't likeable. For most of the story, I found the best I could say about Max was that I didn't hate him. Max's wife, Rachel, I found hard to find sympathy for, because she seemed to play the martyr. But, as a character study, it works. Every character is flawed, dysfunctionally so, but their behavior isn't excused or downplayed. (Well Sarah does, but on some level she knows that a lot of what she's doing is BS).
What I appreciated is that the author doesn't try to force you to like or hate any of the characters, he leaves you free to reach your own judgments. Eventually I came to like Max, despite the frustration I felt at his decisions. He isn't whiny or full of excuses, he's just a guy who can't seem to get his shit together. And who among us hasn't been there?
July 29, 2012
NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All that was asked was a honest review.
When I saw the blurp about this book when I requested it, I thought it might be either a paranormal/supernatural or murder mystery. When the book started with Max, the main character being interviewed by the police about a dream he had had about a girl named Sarah and had reported to the police months before where she had been abducted and maybe killed and it seemed she was missing and the police wanted to know if he had anything to do with it. I still thought that.
As it turned out this was neither of what I had thought. It was not paranormal/supernatural and reading on it turned out not to be a murder/mystery. Instead it is the travels through the mind of Sam, a recovering (?) drunk, how he thinks and why and not very well at that. Note to author, don't ramble, be more clear and to the point
If it had not been for the fact that I had requested the book and felt honor bound to read it and review it, I would have probably quit reading it around 30 to 50 pages. For sure by 75 pages. The author failed to inform the reader why Sam or for that matter Sarah were the way they are. He gave us no real reason to care much about any of the characters in the book and probably the best part of the book was the last page, last line that said END. What is sad is if the author had given the reader any real reason to like, hate or feel something about the characters this could have been a good human interest story. If I was to tell the author how to rewrite it, I would say, give us some reason to like or hate Sam. Give us some reason to feel sorry or something at all for Sarah and the other characters in the story. Just give the reader some reason to care.
When I saw the blurp about this book when I requested it, I thought it might be either a paranormal/supernatural or murder mystery. When the book started with Max, the main character being interviewed by the police about a dream he had had about a girl named Sarah and had reported to the police months before where she had been abducted and maybe killed and it seemed she was missing and the police wanted to know if he had anything to do with it. I still thought that.
As it turned out this was neither of what I had thought. It was not paranormal/supernatural and reading on it turned out not to be a murder/mystery. Instead it is the travels through the mind of Sam, a recovering (?) drunk, how he thinks and why and not very well at that. Note to author, don't ramble, be more clear and to the point
If it had not been for the fact that I had requested the book and felt honor bound to read it and review it, I would have probably quit reading it around 30 to 50 pages. For sure by 75 pages. The author failed to inform the reader why Sam or for that matter Sarah were the way they are. He gave us no real reason to care much about any of the characters in the book and probably the best part of the book was the last page, last line that said END. What is sad is if the author had given the reader any real reason to like, hate or feel something about the characters this could have been a good human interest story. If I was to tell the author how to rewrite it, I would say, give us some reason to like or hate Sam. Give us some reason to feel sorry or something at all for Sarah and the other characters in the story. Just give the reader some reason to care.
September 3, 2012
For the majority of the book I was thinking that perhaps Sarah was a figment of Max's imagination. I arrived at this during Sarah's talks with her therapist, Beth. Given the set up and alternating chapters it was plausible to think that perhaps this was all happening inside Max's drunk induced mind. However, that wasn't the only reason, and the more I read, the more I realized it was mostly due to the lack of change in 'voice' between characters that was giving me the impression that this was one character instead of multiple. For me, this is the only drawback of the story. The voice does not change and can be deceiving, especially when gender is involved. It seemed that each character was an aspect of Max's subconscious rather than a stand alone character. I did like the book, including the ending, which lead me to realize my initial thought was probably wrong. It didn't matter much that I was, and didn't leave me disappointed because by flattening perception, Rosch successfully projected Max's insecurities, guilt and images on the other characters. We saw them as he did, whether that was accurate or not. Thematically, I liked the use of sobriety providing muddled vision, much like trying to view the world through a smeared window verses drinking, which wiped it away giving clarity. The rationalization is astonishing and anyone familiar with addiction will undoubtedly relate to this concept.
June 4, 2012
I finished this book in two days over two weeks ago and I am still thinking about it. The story and the characters happily inhabit a space in your mind with no thought of leaving, and since one of the most sincere compliments I can give a novel is that it makes you think and feel then My Dead Friend Sarah is a winner. I loved the resemblance to what is real, but I questioned what is the truth? It made me reflect on , not just Max and Sarah's story, but my own. And finally, the writing is alluring: both strong and fragile, impossible to forget.
April 18, 2012
I have read this book twice now. It's a good mystery. I loved it.
June 9, 2021
Wow, huge flop. Took a really good development of suspense and mystery and then delivered a slop of self pity and pointlessness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2012
This is not about a dead girl named Sarah. This is about an alcoholic named Max.
Overall: I think the title is misleading. I actually decided to read this book because I thought it was going to be a ghost story or at least have some paranormal/scary elements to it. The beginning was even more misleading because My Dead Friend Sarah starts with Max at the police station being drilled by a detective about his absurd defense – he knew that Sarah was going to die because he dreamed it months ago. The book switches between first person POV between Max and Sarah, but Sarah’s POV happened prior to the start of the story so it is a little confusing. About halfway into the book, I realize that this book is definitely not what I thought it would be. It is a story about a recovering alcoholic. The actual mystery/death of Sarah is a sub-plot.
I know that the book is written in first person, but I hate that the entire story is “told” and not once do I feel like I’m “in” a scene. It feels like someone is remembering something that happened in the distant past and the writing felt lazy…thus, I was bored by scenes that should of been exciting. On a side note, this was a quick read that I felt compelled to finish despite its short-comings. I don’t know why. But because I wanted to finish the story to find out what happened, I couldn’t give this book any less than two stars.
Characters: There are surprisingly few characters in the novel for dual POVs. Sarah doesn’t have her own cast of characters – she has her mother and Max. No friends. Max has his wife, his AA sponsor Sam, and his lawyer Jon. Max is really lucky to have Rachel. He’s been the worst possible husband. He cheats on her. He’s an alcoholic, who actually hit her once. And she stays by his side. It’s a really unhealthy relationship for her, although I imagine Max would of ended up in the gutter if not for his wife by his side, which is why she puts up with him. I didn’t really get specific personalities for Jon or Sam – since they’re only revealed through what Max says and Max is very selfish and doesn’t give a crap about either of them. Max is unlikeable, but he is the highlight of the novel – compelling to read about like a car crash is to watch. Sarah is a pathetic woman that I didn’t care about or understand. Max stalked her every move. She knew about it and didn’t think that was creepy. WTF?
Plot: Max has dreams about Sarah. Max stalks Sarah. Max talks to Sarah. Max breaks Sarah’s heart. Sarah dies a month later and Max finds himself questioned by detectives. It’s not a bad plot, but it’s sometimes hard to follow between the dual narratives – who aren’t entirely truthful even to the reader. I really wish that there was more focus on the scenes and less on the ins and outs of AA meetings and philosophies. I felt like both Max and Sarah were trying to convince me that what they were doing was okay. Max because he was addicted and Sarah because she was in love. But I wasn’t convinced and I don’t like being preached to. Both Max and Sarah (death is no excuse) have major mental issues and need to see another therapist before narrating another book.
Ending: The last quarter of the book felt increasingly abstract and boring. Max battles alcohol when I wish he would battle Sarah’s killer. Max reveals near the end that he’s known Rachel for 10 years, but they’ve been married for 10 years…so did he not know her at all before they decided to get hitched? Doesn’t make sense. And the very end? Very open-ended. I felt very disappointed.
Overall: I think the title is misleading. I actually decided to read this book because I thought it was going to be a ghost story or at least have some paranormal/scary elements to it. The beginning was even more misleading because My Dead Friend Sarah starts with Max at the police station being drilled by a detective about his absurd defense – he knew that Sarah was going to die because he dreamed it months ago. The book switches between first person POV between Max and Sarah, but Sarah’s POV happened prior to the start of the story so it is a little confusing. About halfway into the book, I realize that this book is definitely not what I thought it would be. It is a story about a recovering alcoholic. The actual mystery/death of Sarah is a sub-plot.
I know that the book is written in first person, but I hate that the entire story is “told” and not once do I feel like I’m “in” a scene. It feels like someone is remembering something that happened in the distant past and the writing felt lazy…thus, I was bored by scenes that should of been exciting. On a side note, this was a quick read that I felt compelled to finish despite its short-comings. I don’t know why. But because I wanted to finish the story to find out what happened, I couldn’t give this book any less than two stars.
Characters: There are surprisingly few characters in the novel for dual POVs. Sarah doesn’t have her own cast of characters – she has her mother and Max. No friends. Max has his wife, his AA sponsor Sam, and his lawyer Jon. Max is really lucky to have Rachel. He’s been the worst possible husband. He cheats on her. He’s an alcoholic, who actually hit her once. And she stays by his side. It’s a really unhealthy relationship for her, although I imagine Max would of ended up in the gutter if not for his wife by his side, which is why she puts up with him. I didn’t really get specific personalities for Jon or Sam – since they’re only revealed through what Max says and Max is very selfish and doesn’t give a crap about either of them. Max is unlikeable, but he is the highlight of the novel – compelling to read about like a car crash is to watch. Sarah is a pathetic woman that I didn’t care about or understand. Max stalked her every move. She knew about it and didn’t think that was creepy. WTF?
Plot: Max has dreams about Sarah. Max stalks Sarah. Max talks to Sarah. Max breaks Sarah’s heart. Sarah dies a month later and Max finds himself questioned by detectives. It’s not a bad plot, but it’s sometimes hard to follow between the dual narratives – who aren’t entirely truthful even to the reader. I really wish that there was more focus on the scenes and less on the ins and outs of AA meetings and philosophies. I felt like both Max and Sarah were trying to convince me that what they were doing was okay. Max because he was addicted and Sarah because she was in love. But I wasn’t convinced and I don’t like being preached to. Both Max and Sarah (death is no excuse) have major mental issues and need to see another therapist before narrating another book.
Ending: The last quarter of the book felt increasingly abstract and boring. Max battles alcohol when I wish he would battle Sarah’s killer. Max reveals near the end that he’s known Rachel for 10 years, but they’ve been married for 10 years…so did he not know her at all before they decided to get hitched? Doesn’t make sense. And the very end? Very open-ended. I felt very disappointed.
September 13, 2013
In truth, I have mixed feelings about this book. I bought the book because I was intrigued about the premise. The way in which the story is laid out took a little getting used to but once the action began, it seemed to flow better. The book is broken into three parts with individual chapters assigned to either Max, the main character, or the woman in his dreams, Sarah. Most of her chapters are found in the second part of the book while Max's are prominent in the other parts.
Max is an alcoholic and doesn't hide the fact from anyone because his road to rehab/AA was a long one. By the time he hit his "rock bottom," nearly everyone around him was aware of the drinking. Since the novel is from Max's point of view, the reader learns what Max has been taught on his path and how it affects the way that he makes his decisions. Similar to the way religion plays a part in many lives around the world, the doctrine of the meetings he attended is reflected in his thoughts and actions. Unfortunately, it becomes painfully clear that his grasp of the doctrine isn't as strong as he'd like it to be.
I honestly didn't mind the many times his alcoholism or the AA meetings/doctrine were mentioned within the story. It's an integral part of who Max is and who he wants to be. Therefore, it's essential to have in order to understand his reasoning and how he attempts to handle the weird, co-dependent relationship that he comes to have with Sarah. They both belief that they are giving or receiving something that is necessary for the other. It's only when it creeps toward that uncrossable line that the end result comes to pass.
There were many twists and turns that kept me guessing what really happened until I reached the two-thirds mark in Part 3 of the book. I really enjoyed the odd way that the characters came together, the way his family and friends reacted to certain news being revealed and the brutal honesty of the last few chapters. It was a pretty good read. The only drawback throughout the whole book was the way in which punctuation was being used in parts 2 and 3 of the book.
Normally, I don't have a problem with the occasional missed comma or weird quotation marks, but the amount of missing commas or misused commas within the last few parts really began to alter the storyline. There were many instances were portions of the dialogue could have been taken in different ways, changing the intended direction of the story because a comma wasn't used at all. Also commas being used in the place of periods made some of the interaction between characters odd and difficult to see as realistic. I do believe that if these were corrected, there would be a favorable and positive impact on the story.
Overall, I did enjoy the story. It was weird, different and just twisted enough that I kept reading despite the above mentioned problems. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary or an oddly enjoyable page-turner, be sure to put this on your to-be-read list!
Max is an alcoholic and doesn't hide the fact from anyone because his road to rehab/AA was a long one. By the time he hit his "rock bottom," nearly everyone around him was aware of the drinking. Since the novel is from Max's point of view, the reader learns what Max has been taught on his path and how it affects the way that he makes his decisions. Similar to the way religion plays a part in many lives around the world, the doctrine of the meetings he attended is reflected in his thoughts and actions. Unfortunately, it becomes painfully clear that his grasp of the doctrine isn't as strong as he'd like it to be.
I honestly didn't mind the many times his alcoholism or the AA meetings/doctrine were mentioned within the story. It's an integral part of who Max is and who he wants to be. Therefore, it's essential to have in order to understand his reasoning and how he attempts to handle the weird, co-dependent relationship that he comes to have with Sarah. They both belief that they are giving or receiving something that is necessary for the other. It's only when it creeps toward that uncrossable line that the end result comes to pass.
There were many twists and turns that kept me guessing what really happened until I reached the two-thirds mark in Part 3 of the book. I really enjoyed the odd way that the characters came together, the way his family and friends reacted to certain news being revealed and the brutal honesty of the last few chapters. It was a pretty good read. The only drawback throughout the whole book was the way in which punctuation was being used in parts 2 and 3 of the book.
Normally, I don't have a problem with the occasional missed comma or weird quotation marks, but the amount of missing commas or misused commas within the last few parts really began to alter the storyline. There were many instances were portions of the dialogue could have been taken in different ways, changing the intended direction of the story because a comma wasn't used at all. Also commas being used in the place of periods made some of the interaction between characters odd and difficult to see as realistic. I do believe that if these were corrected, there would be a favorable and positive impact on the story.
Overall, I did enjoy the story. It was weird, different and just twisted enough that I kept reading despite the above mentioned problems. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary or an oddly enjoyable page-turner, be sure to put this on your to-be-read list!
August 10, 2012
* I received a free copy of this book on Net Galley
My Dead Friend Sarah is an odd book.
Before I started reading this I didn't know what to expect. The blurb was a little confusing to me. "Max...meets Sarah – the same woman that for years he’s habitually dreamt will die after a botched abduction." So Max abducted Sarah and then randomly meets her? He tried to abduct her then she escaped and he is hoping she will die? That is definitely not the plot but that is what the blurb initially had me thinking. Just a side note. Here's my real review:
Max, a recovering alcoholic, has a recurring dream about a girl being abducted and dying. Max manages to meet the girl from his dream, Sarah, in real life and proceeds to befriend her in hopes of eventually warning her of her impending death. Sarah ends up disappearing and of course Max is a suspect in the case. He's unable to explain to the police or anyone else how he knew what was going to happen to her. And then the story proceeds to go on in Max's twisted, drunken head.
The chapters are alternately narrated by Max and Sarah. I enjoyed the format and feel like it helped me to better understand what was going on on both sides. Unfortunately, other reviewers led me to believe that the story was leading up to something astonishing but all I felt was let down. For me, there was no real climax or resolution. The book was more about Max's addiction than Sarah actually disappearing. This became very apparent to me about 3/4 of the way through when every page was Max's rambling intoxicated thoughts.
Now I'm going to be nitpicky because I tend to pay a lot of attention to writing style. Rosch's author profile says he "favors the run-on sentence – the one thing for which he offers no apologies" so I get that he likes to babble but many of the sentences could be simplified. There were also a lot of odd recurring word choices that kept Max from sounding like a real person. Instead of saying "I don't have", Max would say "I've not". As in "...said he'd try my cell, but I've none." Max also uses words like albeit (repeatedly), thusly, and afoul. Who talks like that? No normal person I know. Maybe that's the sign of an alcoholic trying to appear overly-coherent but to me it was just annoying.
Overall, I got through My Dead Friend Sarah pretty quickly. It wasn't my cup of tea but I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in alcohol addiction and doesn't mind a self-loathing, rambling protagonist.
My Dead Friend Sarah is an odd book.
Before I started reading this I didn't know what to expect. The blurb was a little confusing to me. "Max...meets Sarah – the same woman that for years he’s habitually dreamt will die after a botched abduction." So Max abducted Sarah and then randomly meets her? He tried to abduct her then she escaped and he is hoping she will die? That is definitely not the plot but that is what the blurb initially had me thinking. Just a side note. Here's my real review:
Max, a recovering alcoholic, has a recurring dream about a girl being abducted and dying. Max manages to meet the girl from his dream, Sarah, in real life and proceeds to befriend her in hopes of eventually warning her of her impending death. Sarah ends up disappearing and of course Max is a suspect in the case. He's unable to explain to the police or anyone else how he knew what was going to happen to her. And then the story proceeds to go on in Max's twisted, drunken head.
The chapters are alternately narrated by Max and Sarah. I enjoyed the format and feel like it helped me to better understand what was going on on both sides. Unfortunately, other reviewers led me to believe that the story was leading up to something astonishing but all I felt was let down. For me, there was no real climax or resolution. The book was more about Max's addiction than Sarah actually disappearing. This became very apparent to me about 3/4 of the way through when every page was Max's rambling intoxicated thoughts.
Now I'm going to be nitpicky because I tend to pay a lot of attention to writing style. Rosch's author profile says he "favors the run-on sentence – the one thing for which he offers no apologies" so I get that he likes to babble but many of the sentences could be simplified. There were also a lot of odd recurring word choices that kept Max from sounding like a real person. Instead of saying "I don't have", Max would say "I've not". As in "...said he'd try my cell, but I've none." Max also uses words like albeit (repeatedly), thusly, and afoul. Who talks like that? No normal person I know. Maybe that's the sign of an alcoholic trying to appear overly-coherent but to me it was just annoying.
Overall, I got through My Dead Friend Sarah pretty quickly. It wasn't my cup of tea but I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in alcohol addiction and doesn't mind a self-loathing, rambling protagonist.
December 29, 2012
Ok, questa volta non è colpa mia!! E' vero che mi sono lasciata catturare dalla copertina.. Però ho anche letto e apprezzato la trama..!
Dunque, abbiamo Max, ex alcolista, che per mesi sogna il rapimento e l'uccisione di una ragazza. Un giorno la incontra e vuole conoscerla per metterla in guardia su ciò che le accadrà e sperare che la ragazza in questione, Sarah, non lo prenda per pazzo..
Giusto per correttezza, ho finito il libro perché l'ho richiesto alla casa editrice e mi sembrava doveroso scriverne una recensione, altrimenti penso che sarebbe finito nel dimenticatoio..
La prima parte non è nemmeno tanto male, anzi: Max e Sarah parlano in prima persona a capitoli alterni e sebbene la storia inizi in medias res (con la polizia che interroga Max perché Sarah è effettivamente scomparsa), pian piano viene ricostruito tutto. Il problema, che inizialmente ho trovato un pregio, è il fatto che non c'è un minimo di ordine logico/razionale/temporale nella narrazione.. All'inizio la cosa ti spiazza poi diventa sempre più fastidiosa..
Un grande handicap è che -per loro stessa ammissione - i due narratori della storia sono dei bugiardi cronici a livelli olimpionici.. Insomma, dover sempre mettere in dubbio ciò che si legge è stressante! *_*
Prendere in giro così il povero lettore.. Che mondo crudele!
La seconda parte è proprio difficile da leggere senza cadere in uno stato comatoso irreversibile, giuro!
Il problema poi è anche nella trama: sinceramente, fa acqua da tutte le parti, è debole e soprattutto non meritevole delle duecento e passa pagine.
Sarah poi.. All'inizio mi ha fatto tenerezza e mi ha anche divertito, però poi.. Non so, inconsistente potrei definirla. Evanescente.. O più malvagiamente, inutile. Soprattutto quando a parlare è Max!
Per concludere la mia ditruzione del romanzo,
Ci sono però degli aspetti positivi in tutto ciò: in parte il protagonista Max: un ex alcolizzato, quindi non stra-perfetto e fighissimo (anche se poi questo aspetto cade facilmente, perché Max è inquietante -non saprei come altro descriverlo: dopo che non vuole più sentire Sarah, si mette a seguirla di notte peggio di uno stalker..); poi appunto c'è il fatto che si parli -senza nascondersi dietro buonismi vari- dell'alcolismo (e anche qui: grandioso! E' stata la prima reazione.. Poi dopo la miliardesima riunione degli AA mi sono chiesta se non stessi leggendo un loro opuscolo, piuttosto che un romanzo!). Per finire, ogni tanto ho trovato qualche pallido tentativo di ironia..
Possiamo lavorarci su, Mr Rosch!
Dunque, abbiamo Max, ex alcolista, che per mesi sogna il rapimento e l'uccisione di una ragazza. Un giorno la incontra e vuole conoscerla per metterla in guardia su ciò che le accadrà e sperare che la ragazza in questione, Sarah, non lo prenda per pazzo..
Giusto per correttezza, ho finito il libro perché l'ho richiesto alla casa editrice e mi sembrava doveroso scriverne una recensione, altrimenti penso che sarebbe finito nel dimenticatoio..
La prima parte non è nemmeno tanto male, anzi: Max e Sarah parlano in prima persona a capitoli alterni e sebbene la storia inizi in medias res (con la polizia che interroga Max perché Sarah è effettivamente scomparsa), pian piano viene ricostruito tutto. Il problema, che inizialmente ho trovato un pregio, è il fatto che non c'è un minimo di ordine logico/razionale/temporale nella narrazione.. All'inizio la cosa ti spiazza poi diventa sempre più fastidiosa..
Un grande handicap è che -per loro stessa ammissione - i due narratori della storia sono dei bugiardi cronici a livelli olimpionici.. Insomma, dover sempre mettere in dubbio ciò che si legge è stressante! *_*
Prendere in giro così il povero lettore.. Che mondo crudele!
La seconda parte è proprio difficile da leggere senza cadere in uno stato comatoso irreversibile, giuro!
Il problema poi è anche nella trama: sinceramente, fa acqua da tutte le parti, è debole e soprattutto non meritevole delle duecento e passa pagine.
Sarah poi.. All'inizio mi ha fatto tenerezza e mi ha anche divertito, però poi.. Non so, inconsistente potrei definirla. Evanescente.. O più malvagiamente, inutile. Soprattutto quando a parlare è Max!
Per concludere la mia ditruzione del romanzo,
Ci sono però degli aspetti positivi in tutto ciò: in parte il protagonista Max: un ex alcolizzato, quindi non stra-perfetto e fighissimo (anche se poi questo aspetto cade facilmente, perché Max è inquietante -non saprei come altro descriverlo: dopo che non vuole più sentire Sarah, si mette a seguirla di notte peggio di uno stalker..); poi appunto c'è il fatto che si parli -senza nascondersi dietro buonismi vari- dell'alcolismo (e anche qui: grandioso! E' stata la prima reazione.. Poi dopo la miliardesima riunione degli AA mi sono chiesta se non stessi leggendo un loro opuscolo, piuttosto che un romanzo!). Per finire, ogni tanto ho trovato qualche pallido tentativo di ironia..
Possiamo lavorarci su, Mr Rosch!
September 6, 2012
Overall ratting 3.5 out of 5 Stars.
What would you do if you held a premonition-like knowledge of someone's unfortunate demise? Not just someone, but a total stranger that you actually see one day on a street corner. Would you be the hero and attempt to save the day or would you chalk it up to chance and simply let fate play out as it is meant to, by way of your dream? Could you trust your premonition if it came in the form of a dream and you were a recovering alcoholic?
These are all questions, debates, and battles raging in Max's world. For years, he's been dreaming of a beautiful girl's botched abduction and subsequent death. The dreams, however disturbing, have been just dreams until he actually spots her on the street. In that moment of time, he makes the very sober and conscious decision to begin following her in order to protect her. Maybe he can be a hero in this shared story. As the dreams continue, he feels the dread and the sense that time is running out for his now friend Sarah.
My Dead Friend Sarah is certainly a departure from the "average" whodunnit mystery genre by way of its story telling. Told by way of both Max and Sarah's points of view, the story begins to weave an intricate web for readers to navigate through. Max's story begins at the present and recounts from the past forward; Sarah's begins with noticing Max and moves forward. Each POV intersects at times and offers readers a small tidbit of he said/she said view on their relationship, which is dysfunctional at best.
Other players in their game of life had supporting yet backseat roles: the wife, the sponsor, the therapist, the mother, the friend/lawyer, and even the alcohol. Each personality was unique and lent themselves freely to the drama of the story, making readers question the intentions and motives behind each person's actions.
Overall a very good read that kept me guessing Sarah's whereabouts and the surrounding circumstances of her disappearance.
What would you do if you held a premonition-like knowledge of someone's unfortunate demise? Not just someone, but a total stranger that you actually see one day on a street corner. Would you be the hero and attempt to save the day or would you chalk it up to chance and simply let fate play out as it is meant to, by way of your dream? Could you trust your premonition if it came in the form of a dream and you were a recovering alcoholic?
These are all questions, debates, and battles raging in Max's world. For years, he's been dreaming of a beautiful girl's botched abduction and subsequent death. The dreams, however disturbing, have been just dreams until he actually spots her on the street. In that moment of time, he makes the very sober and conscious decision to begin following her in order to protect her. Maybe he can be a hero in this shared story. As the dreams continue, he feels the dread and the sense that time is running out for his now friend Sarah.
My Dead Friend Sarah is certainly a departure from the "average" whodunnit mystery genre by way of its story telling. Told by way of both Max and Sarah's points of view, the story begins to weave an intricate web for readers to navigate through. Max's story begins at the present and recounts from the past forward; Sarah's begins with noticing Max and moves forward. Each POV intersects at times and offers readers a small tidbit of he said/she said view on their relationship, which is dysfunctional at best.
Other players in their game of life had supporting yet backseat roles: the wife, the sponsor, the therapist, the mother, the friend/lawyer, and even the alcohol. Each personality was unique and lent themselves freely to the drama of the story, making readers question the intentions and motives behind each person's actions.
Overall a very good read that kept me guessing Sarah's whereabouts and the surrounding circumstances of her disappearance.
July 9, 2012
While I enjoyed the book, there were definitely some items which made me take back a star. For one, I felt like the book dragged on a bit--especially with the beginning, which seems contrary to most books. Secondly, while I enjoyed the ending, it was made obvious what will eventually happen when you're about 10 pages from the ending--don't do that! I want to hear the ending WHEN the ending comes, not 10 pages before it actually happens. Lastly, my mind seemed to zone in and out of the story at times. This might have been because there wasn't that much action going on, or it might have just been due to my mind making its likely disappearance. Either way, I would have loved more action besides simply having Max follow Sarah around.
Now, to what I liked--the characters! I haven't read a book which had me so engrossed in the mind of a character since first reading the Song of Ice and Fire books. Even though I never really got into Sarah's head like I did with Max, she was still an interesting character and I could empathize with her. Max's character, on the other hand, was written in a way that made the story seem like a memoir--and it almost is with the alcoholic take. I just cannot begin to state what a good portrayal the author managed to create of Max. It's true what they say, when you really get close to a character, after finishing the book it is almost like the character has died.
There were a few humorous lines which really stuck with me--one being connected to zombies and another to the military--which I just HAD to read to my father who also found them hilarious. However, hints of humor and great characters still don't make a book I come to love. I may have found a new friend with Max, but that doesn't mean the book itself was anything special. Max, I hope to meet you again in another world where maybe you're fighting your struggles a little more and finally opening yourself up.
Now, to what I liked--the characters! I haven't read a book which had me so engrossed in the mind of a character since first reading the Song of Ice and Fire books. Even though I never really got into Sarah's head like I did with Max, she was still an interesting character and I could empathize with her. Max's character, on the other hand, was written in a way that made the story seem like a memoir--and it almost is with the alcoholic take. I just cannot begin to state what a good portrayal the author managed to create of Max. It's true what they say, when you really get close to a character, after finishing the book it is almost like the character has died.
There were a few humorous lines which really stuck with me--one being connected to zombies and another to the military--which I just HAD to read to my father who also found them hilarious. However, hints of humor and great characters still don't make a book I come to love. I may have found a new friend with Max, but that doesn't mean the book itself was anything special. Max, I hope to meet you again in another world where maybe you're fighting your struggles a little more and finally opening yourself up.
January 13, 2013
My Dead Friend Sarah by Peter Rosch is really about Max, a recovering alcoholic who is having repeated dreams about a woman being kidnapped and dying. He discovers the woman accidentally on the streets of NYC and begins clandestinely following/stalking her, sure that his dreams are a premonition of the future. He finds out her name is Sarah and ends up striking up a relationship with her, only to break it off in favor of his wife, Rachel. This doesn't stop Max from still following her, thinking he is protecting her. The novel opens up with Max reporting his reoccurring dream to the police.
The beginning chapters of this mystery alternate between Max and Sarah. Max has an addictive personality and may be an unreliable narrator. He is an alcoholic, struggling with recovery in AA, keeping contact with his sponsor, Sam, and striving to tell the truth. Sarah, who keeps herself distant from other people, is a suicidal events planner who has been going to therapy for years. Both of these flawed characters like to think that they can control the actions of others.
The story itself is compelling and a quick read. The inside information about AA becomes an integral part of the story. It also becomes clear that while Max has a goal of always telling the truth, he may be struggling with that as much as he is with maintaining sobriety.
There are a few flaws. While the chapters alternate between Max and Sarah at the beginning, if you aren't paying attention, you might miss this since they are written in exactly the same manner. It might have been nice to have more differentiation between their voices. There were a few grammatical errors which I could easily overlook since I considered them part of a conversational style of writing, but they might really bother some readers.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Netgalley for review purposes
http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
The beginning chapters of this mystery alternate between Max and Sarah. Max has an addictive personality and may be an unreliable narrator. He is an alcoholic, struggling with recovery in AA, keeping contact with his sponsor, Sam, and striving to tell the truth. Sarah, who keeps herself distant from other people, is a suicidal events planner who has been going to therapy for years. Both of these flawed characters like to think that they can control the actions of others.
The story itself is compelling and a quick read. The inside information about AA becomes an integral part of the story. It also becomes clear that while Max has a goal of always telling the truth, he may be struggling with that as much as he is with maintaining sobriety.
There are a few flaws. While the chapters alternate between Max and Sarah at the beginning, if you aren't paying attention, you might miss this since they are written in exactly the same manner. It might have been nice to have more differentiation between their voices. There were a few grammatical errors which I could easily overlook since I considered them part of a conversational style of writing, but they might really bother some readers.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Netgalley for review purposes
http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
April 26, 2012
*** Spoiler Alert *** THIS REVIEW GIVES AWAY THE ENDING!!!
Wow this book is really something special. I would like to add though that I do believe that this book would not suit everybody's taste because it is a different style of writing but I loved it.
Max is a recovering alcoholic and he has a dream, a girl is kidnapped and killed. He then sees the girl, Sarah in the street and stalks her so he can finally warn her of his premonition.
The story is written in three parts and is written in both Max and Sarah's side of the story. It is also set in the past and present.
I can honestly say I was completely engaged with every sentence written in this story, I could not read it fast enough to find out if Sarah dies and what the future held for Max and his long suffering wife Rachel.
The story also covers a lot bout Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and what it is like to be a recovering alcoholic attending the meetings. These parts were really insightful and I would guess that the author has either had first hand experience of this or has researched the subject thoroughly.
There was a part in the story which made my blood run cold, this was when Max had cooled things off with Sarah but was still following her and she knew about it and enjoyed it. I found this to be quite disturbing but it made for excellent reading.
The ending was phenomenal, so it turned out Max was right about his premonition but I would never have guessed he would have been the one to unintentionally kidnap her and lead her to suicide, that was my interpretation but I would imagine other readers would like to think Sarah had just simply walked away and not jumped from the bridge, who knows?
Fantastic stuff a very strong 5 stars.
Becky Sherriff (The Kindle Book Review)
Wow this book is really something special. I would like to add though that I do believe that this book would not suit everybody's taste because it is a different style of writing but I loved it.
Max is a recovering alcoholic and he has a dream, a girl is kidnapped and killed. He then sees the girl, Sarah in the street and stalks her so he can finally warn her of his premonition.
The story is written in three parts and is written in both Max and Sarah's side of the story. It is also set in the past and present.
I can honestly say I was completely engaged with every sentence written in this story, I could not read it fast enough to find out if Sarah dies and what the future held for Max and his long suffering wife Rachel.
The story also covers a lot bout Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and what it is like to be a recovering alcoholic attending the meetings. These parts were really insightful and I would guess that the author has either had first hand experience of this or has researched the subject thoroughly.
There was a part in the story which made my blood run cold, this was when Max had cooled things off with Sarah but was still following her and she knew about it and enjoyed it. I found this to be quite disturbing but it made for excellent reading.
The ending was phenomenal, so it turned out Max was right about his premonition but I would never have guessed he would have been the one to unintentionally kidnap her and lead her to suicide, that was my interpretation but I would imagine other readers would like to think Sarah had just simply walked away and not jumped from the bridge, who knows?
Fantastic stuff a very strong 5 stars.
Becky Sherriff (The Kindle Book Review)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2012
A twisted tale about fucked up people. I really like stories like this.
Told in a sort of stream of consciousness, what happened to alcoholic protag Max's literal dream girl unfolds slowly. Sometimes it's a little painfully slow as the narrator occasionally lays out his theories and philosophies on being drunk and telling the truth while drunk, both to yourself and to the ones you love, in a redundant and tedious manner. As alcoholics tend to do, apparently. Part I has chapters from Max and his dead friend Sarah's POV. It's actually pretty interesting, and I feel like I know more about AA than I did before (which admittedly, wasn't much). The "twist" in the story wasn't really shocking, but the way it was told was pretty novel and surprising, especially after Rosch spends the last 40 or so pages explaining sober versus drunk logic, which is precisely what Max uses to take us to the conclusion.
It was a fairly quick read, and I'd say it's worth it. And with a title like this, I'm pretty sure you're not expecting a happy, upbeat story. At least you better not be. That's not what you're going to get.
Told in a sort of stream of consciousness, what happened to alcoholic protag Max's literal dream girl unfolds slowly. Sometimes it's a little painfully slow as the narrator occasionally lays out his theories and philosophies on being drunk and telling the truth while drunk, both to yourself and to the ones you love, in a redundant and tedious manner. As alcoholics tend to do, apparently. Part I has chapters from Max and his dead friend Sarah's POV. It's actually pretty interesting, and I feel like I know more about AA than I did before (which admittedly, wasn't much). The "twist" in the story wasn't really shocking, but the way it was told was pretty novel and surprising, especially after Rosch spends the last 40 or so pages explaining sober versus drunk logic, which is precisely what Max uses to take us to the conclusion.
It was a fairly quick read, and I'd say it's worth it. And with a title like this, I'm pretty sure you're not expecting a happy, upbeat story. At least you better not be. That's not what you're going to get.
November 10, 2012
This is, for me, best described as a quirky read. It’s very different to other books out there and the ending could be considered a little ambiguous.
The story follows Max, a recovering alcoholic who dreams about the abduction and death of a girl. He sees the girl and becomes obsessed with her, and she with him. She goes missing and he is implicated in her suspected murder (as he told the police about his dream).
The story is in three parts, the first part follows both Max and Sarah as their relationship develops, then moves onto the police investigation and then finally onto what actually happened to Sarah.
The book is written by a recovering alcoholic and you can tell by the level of detail Roth brings to Max. His understanding of the mind of an alcoholic is key to making this an intriguing story. My only complaint about the book is that, despite the first part being written from the viewpoints of Sarah and Max, the voice of both characters isn’t sufficiently distinct. This made it at times difficult to differentiate between them both. So much so that I was beginning to question if Sarah and Max were one and the same person!
But, all in all, a quirky and interesting read. Well worth a try and an intriguing new author to look out for
The story follows Max, a recovering alcoholic who dreams about the abduction and death of a girl. He sees the girl and becomes obsessed with her, and she with him. She goes missing and he is implicated in her suspected murder (as he told the police about his dream).
The story is in three parts, the first part follows both Max and Sarah as their relationship develops, then moves onto the police investigation and then finally onto what actually happened to Sarah.
The book is written by a recovering alcoholic and you can tell by the level of detail Roth brings to Max. His understanding of the mind of an alcoholic is key to making this an intriguing story. My only complaint about the book is that, despite the first part being written from the viewpoints of Sarah and Max, the voice of both characters isn’t sufficiently distinct. This made it at times difficult to differentiate between them both. So much so that I was beginning to question if Sarah and Max were one and the same person!
But, all in all, a quirky and interesting read. Well worth a try and an intriguing new author to look out for
February 9, 2013
I gave this book 4 stars because this was a unique suspenseful story. The title does make you think it's about a dead friend but it's much more than that. The book alternates between the characters Max and Sarah. Some scenes that are described in the book made it feel like I was seeing the whole story on TV. The police investigation just made feel more real.
The characters I found myself enjoying more was Max and Rachel. Even though Max was not perfect and didn't have a good marriage because of his issues I still felt like Max really tried to do good by her and to himself. I really respected Rachel for sticking by him through all his problems. Rachel is a strong woman and I didn't feel bad for her because she did what you could. I really enjoyed when Max was narrating the story. Even when he Max was talking about his AA experience a little too much, I still thought is was great and found myself wanting to keep reading from Max story more. It was more interesting than when Sarah was talking. Sarah was not my type of person. She was too boring and needy. I found her story to be too predictable.
Peter Rosch did a great job keeping you in suspense all through to the very end. This book makes you think and see in very different perspectives.
The characters I found myself enjoying more was Max and Rachel. Even though Max was not perfect and didn't have a good marriage because of his issues I still felt like Max really tried to do good by her and to himself. I really respected Rachel for sticking by him through all his problems. Rachel is a strong woman and I didn't feel bad for her because she did what you could. I really enjoyed when Max was narrating the story. Even when he Max was talking about his AA experience a little too much, I still thought is was great and found myself wanting to keep reading from Max story more. It was more interesting than when Sarah was talking. Sarah was not my type of person. She was too boring and needy. I found her story to be too predictable.
Peter Rosch did a great job keeping you in suspense all through to the very end. This book makes you think and see in very different perspectives.
June 18, 2012
My Dead Friend Sarah is very well written and is a fast read. The book is filled with so many twists and turns that it's hard to put down once you get started. I especially enjoyed the way the book was written, from the two main characters perspective.
Max, a recovery alcoholic living in New York , dreams of a young woman's kidnapping and death for months. It's just a bad dream until he sees the woman from his dreams.
Sarah, an event planner living in New York , doesn't have issues she has subscriptions. A "chance" encounter brings these two characters together and then the real fun begins. How do you tell someone that you've been dreaming about their death for months without sounding creepy?
As a substance abuse counselor, I found it very interesting to read the thoughts that go through Max's head and some of the justifications for his actions/behaviors. MDFS gives great insight into the mind of someone with an addiction.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone! I can't wait to read another book from Mr. Rosch.
Max, a recovery alcoholic living in New York , dreams of a young woman's kidnapping and death for months. It's just a bad dream until he sees the woman from his dreams.
Sarah, an event planner living in New York , doesn't have issues she has subscriptions. A "chance" encounter brings these two characters together and then the real fun begins. How do you tell someone that you've been dreaming about their death for months without sounding creepy?
As a substance abuse counselor, I found it very interesting to read the thoughts that go through Max's head and some of the justifications for his actions/behaviors. MDFS gives great insight into the mind of someone with an addiction.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone! I can't wait to read another book from Mr. Rosch.
September 5, 2012
This was an okay read for me.
The story revolves around an alcoholic, Max, and Sarah a woman he dreams about. Max is married and dreams about Sarah before meeting her. The story alternates chapters between Max and Sarah. It also shows the relationship between Max, his family members and members of alcoholics anonymous.
For me, I found the writing difficult to follow. I'm not sure if it was deliberate, but the timing didn't flow very well. The story seemed to jump backwards and forwards in time too often without a clear idea of when events were taking place. Although I have no personal experience of alcoholics, I imagine this would be how Max views life, little pockets of time between binges - it was just quite difficult for me to follow.
I would have liked to have seen more of Sarah's chapters, particularly towards the end. I actually found her character more interesting.
Overall, I think if I had more experience of alcoholism I would have enjoyed this more, I just found it difficult to connect to the main character Max.
The story revolves around an alcoholic, Max, and Sarah a woman he dreams about. Max is married and dreams about Sarah before meeting her. The story alternates chapters between Max and Sarah. It also shows the relationship between Max, his family members and members of alcoholics anonymous.
For me, I found the writing difficult to follow. I'm not sure if it was deliberate, but the timing didn't flow very well. The story seemed to jump backwards and forwards in time too often without a clear idea of when events were taking place. Although I have no personal experience of alcoholics, I imagine this would be how Max views life, little pockets of time between binges - it was just quite difficult for me to follow.
I would have liked to have seen more of Sarah's chapters, particularly towards the end. I actually found her character more interesting.
Overall, I think if I had more experience of alcoholism I would have enjoyed this more, I just found it difficult to connect to the main character Max.
February 14, 2013
First, thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Mr. Rosch has created quite a world around his two characters in My Dead Friend Sarah. I really enjoy the dual points of view and the fact that Max focus on the past, while Sarah begins after their "affair" has ended. The book has some great insight into the mind of an addict, which almost adds more to the angst leading up to what really happens to Sarah.
My favorite quote in the book concerns the element of storytelling and lying and how it shows a real issue with self esteem. That the better you are at telling a good story, the less likely people will judge you simply because you are so entertaining. I think this is a good thing to remember when you meet new people and really relates to the point of the novel.
I enjoyed the fact that the ending was semi-ambiguous. Those are my favorite endings. However, the book moved a bit slow for me at the beginning and I worry that most people will give up on it too quickly. I would easily read something from this author again.
Mr. Rosch has created quite a world around his two characters in My Dead Friend Sarah. I really enjoy the dual points of view and the fact that Max focus on the past, while Sarah begins after their "affair" has ended. The book has some great insight into the mind of an addict, which almost adds more to the angst leading up to what really happens to Sarah.
My favorite quote in the book concerns the element of storytelling and lying and how it shows a real issue with self esteem. That the better you are at telling a good story, the less likely people will judge you simply because you are so entertaining. I think this is a good thing to remember when you meet new people and really relates to the point of the novel.
I enjoyed the fact that the ending was semi-ambiguous. Those are my favorite endings. However, the book moved a bit slow for me at the beginning and I worry that most people will give up on it too quickly. I would easily read something from this author again.
June 3, 2012
I don't quite know what to make of this book. It was an intriguing story and I have never read a book quite like it. Both main characters are very damaged individuals and you get to experience a first-person perspective from both Max and Sarah. I was somewhat bored with the first half of the book as they are meeting one another and beginning their friendship. However, Part 2 moved much quicker for me, but was disturbing. As I said, I have never read a book quite like this, and that is mostly due to the personality of Max. It was illuminating and unnerving to read about his alcoholism, his lowest points, recovery, and relapses from his own perspective.
I am not thrilled with the way this book ends, but that's probably because I held out hope until the very end that there would be some semblance of a happy ending. Note to self: When a book title is "My Dead Friend...." it's not going to end well.
I give it a 2/5 - it was OK, perhaps not my taste, but definitely interesting.
I am not thrilled with the way this book ends, but that's probably because I held out hope until the very end that there would be some semblance of a happy ending. Note to self: When a book title is "My Dead Friend...." it's not going to end well.
I give it a 2/5 - it was OK, perhaps not my taste, but definitely interesting.
August 7, 2012
I finished reading My Dead Friend Sarah. When I first read the title, I figured it would obviously be about ‘Sarah’ before she died. However, it wasn’t so much about her but about the role she played in the mind of the alcoholic narrator as she developed in his consciousness, or, rather, as his psychological outlook developed around her. At times, the story unfolded in a kind of stream-of-consciousness, especially in that the narrator reveals himself through his somewhat skewed mental/emotional thoughts. We don’t have privy to many of his actions, but we learn almost more than we want to know about the way he thinks, although I wasn’t certain at any time whether or not to believe what he was thinking. In fact, when I finished the book, I immediately flipped back to page one and began again. Surely I had missed something. How could it end that way? As I said, it was fascinating and will certainly interest anyone who would like a window into an intoxicating mind.
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