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How Best to Avoid Dying
stories

by Owen Egerton



      How Best to Avoid Dying is an unusual collection of stories. It is not a dark or mysterious collection but rather a twisted, whimsical look at the lives of people as they experience dying or the idea of dying. Egerton’s story-telling technique makes you feel his presence in every story. He uses a baby doll photograph as a prelude to each chapter to give the reader an ominous feeling before turning the page. Each photograph displays only a part of the doll to create a piece of the puzzle intrigue.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed his writing style and interesting twist on each tale. I never made the connection to the title, as several of the characters did in fact die, but I did stay intrigued enough to keep reading; never quite sure what was around the bend. He touched on many seemingly innocent characterizations like kids at a Spelling Bee in "Spelling", and then turned to a bizarre tale of Lord Baxtor Ballsington. In the end the collection left me thinking... Egerton is either a creative genius or an absolute nut. Either way I liked his work.

The Book

Dalton Publishing
June 1, 2007
Paperback
0974070378
Short Stories / Humor
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Nicole Merritt
Reviewed 2007
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