Today, we have a great new review of Edgar’s Worst Sunday to share. This comes from our friend Ellen Michelle, who you can visit right here.
-Brad OH Inc.
Ellen Michelle’s Review of Edgar’s Worst Sunday:
This book offers an interesting take on the afterlife and what it would really be like if Heaven was simply our greatest fantasy.
I struggled with the rating on this book (why can’t I do half-stars?!) but ultimately decided that although some solid editing would have taken this book to the next level, the author was trying something unique and I have to give credit for a well done effort.
The main character, Edgar Vincent (don’t call him Vincent!), is inherently unlikeable, which makes us wonder how he was accepted into Heaven in the first place. He gives off the vibe of being an unreliable narrator, but really he tells the truth the whole time—the truth just might not be what you want to hear. If you don’t mind reading about a character that isn’t likeable, this is a good choice! Edgar is well developed and has a nice arc that shows that he starts to understand what he did wrong in life, and what he might do if he were given another chance. Does he follow through on this though? Only time can tell.
The side characters—mostly Edgar’s best friends from life—are a bit repetitive and do little to add to the story themselves aside from giving Edgar flashback stories to tell. Each has their own distinct function and characteristics, but ultimately they were all just drinking buddies with Edgar.
It’s really Edgar’s story, and I think the nature of how the side characters are treated add to Edgar’s characterization. You can see that Edgar is selfish and narcissistic, so it makes sense that a story being told from his point of view wouldn’t focus on how wonderful his best friends are. Rather, he tries to show how he is better than them. A good narrative device to use—this could have been made better by some solid editing, but I see what they’re going for and it works well with who Edgar is as a character.
This is definitely not your typical afterlife story, and religion plays only a very small part in it, but it is definitely an intriguing look at what happens when our wildest fantasies are presented to us in what appears to be the afterlife.
In most regards, it does not seem like it could possibly be Edgar’s WORST Sunday, but it is definitely a very long Sunday filled with various mishaps and a lot of drinking—trust me, don’t play a drink-for-drink game with this book, it won’t end well.
Brad OH Inc. 