Dead Man Talking by Roddy Doyle – Book review

Roddy Doyle was an author on my TBR for way too long, so I’m pleased to say that Dead Man Talking is my second (brilliant) read from him this year. The first was Life Without Children, a collection of short stories set during lockdown.

Opening sentence: I met Joe again the night before his funeral.

The Reading Agency Quick Reads

Dead Man Talking is a short read – clocking in at 99 pages – that’s part of the Quick Reads series. An initiative by The Reading Agency charity to encourage more people to read. All the books are under or around 100 pages with short chapters and a larger, more digestible font. They are also only £1 to really make these books accessible to all.

You can take a look through all the books in this series here.

I really enjoy Quick Reads as sometimes, you just want a quick story you know is going to be good and satisfying. A palette cleanser between longer reads, if you will. These books are also a great way to discover new authors.

Dead Man Talking

So, back to this book. Narrated by Pat, he’s just discovered that his friend, Joe has died. He fell out with Joe years earlier, so is awash with feelings. He makes the decision (well, his wife kind of does) to go to Joe’s wake and pay his respects, and that’s where this story is set.

It’s a tale of grief and reflection and yes, talking to a dead man.

There was a dead man talking to me. It was very bloody strange. But there was another strange thing. When Joe smiled, it hit me that he looked no older.

I really liked this story – I won’t give away anything plot-wise but Roddy Doyle’s dry and witty yet so emotional tone that I loved in Life Without Children rings through here, making it a joy to read.

Dead Man Talking is my third Quick Read and they’ve all been fantastic. My first was The Baby is Mine by Oyinkane Braithwaite and my second was The Swimmer by Graham Norton. As you can see, the authors are varied, so there’s something for everyone. If you love short stories I highly recommend checking them out.

• Get your copy of Dead Man Talking here;
• Published by Vintage 2023;
• 99 pages;
• My rating: