Novel Review

What to Do When someone Dies – Nicci French

To begin, I loved the novel. Nicci French has done complete justice to this commonplace-yet-fresh idea of a grieving widow’s story. Um, excuse me! The story is actually about a widow who is not grieving. Allow me to clarify...
Ellie’s husband dies in a car crash with a hitherto unknown lady (Melina Livingstone) in very unusual setting(s) [His seat belt is unbuckled, Livingstone is well-known for having extra-marital affairs, and he had fought with her wife the same morning].
Not to be convinced with much-convincing evidence about her husband’s deceit, Ellie sets out to solve the mystery. The general stages of grief are Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance *; Ellie however commits herself to the undertaken job most painstakingly. Blurred by doubts about her sanity, aided by her friends’ compassion, and inundated with her husband’s memory, she keeps at her work till situation forces her to give up.
She had walked into Melina Livingstone’s office – and searched thoroughly for anything – just anything. Unable to reveal her real motives, she had lived with her best friend’s identity till it had to be thrown away. Nothing working, she had decided to grieve like a normal widow... However, fate had plans.
Just a few weeks later, her hardwork of disguise, torment and altered identity gives shape, and, the mystery unfolds. Her husband was murdered.
Most intriguing, most captivating, most moving, and most fine... What To Do When Someone Dies is a perfect delight!

*The Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as the five stages of grief, was first introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying.