How a lot of us talk, but many authors refuse or are scared to write, especially in mainstream contemporary fiction. Basically how I talk every day, to my mother’s dismay and horror. What do I mean by real? There’s cursing and descriptive sexual scenes and innuendos without being romance novel-ish. I Kill Me: Tales of a Jilted Hypochondriac is for adults only, although not in the Fifty Shades kind of way. Take, for instance, Christine’s first blind internet date as she ruminates on how her life would end up with this guy who pronounces “toilet” “tole-it”: “Woman! Bring me a goddamn beeyah, for Chrissake! I need some alchy-hol before I work on the tole-it!” That one was a snorter for me. The author successfully tells a tale that many of us have unfortunately witnessed or experienced ourselves: A couple who seems to have it all one minute, only to devolve in a matter of days into hateful, malice-filled enemies a tyrannical mother sees her chance and moves in for the kill confused children trying to deal as best they can. I find myself on WebMd probably a little more than is healthy (pardon the pun), and couldn’t help but laugh every time she rushed to the computer to find out what she was dying of next. Don’t tell anyone, but I saw so much of myself in Christine - I hope I’m not the only one. The characters and dialogue were real and entertaining and I loved all of the characters in this book, especially her patient and tolerant friends whose forbearance in the face of Christine’s constant dubious maladies was touching and genuine. Tucker has a talent for humor, and is expert at blending that humor with insightful and intelligent prose. This book is funny - really funny - while at the same time artfully and poignantly peeling away at the layers of Christine’s phobias. The author takes us on a raucous ride through a critical point in Christine’s life: An ugly divorce, adjusting to life as a single mom, dealing with an overbearing mom, reentering the dating scene, and ultimately getting to know herself and coming to terms with who she really is - all while dying of cancer, ALS, leukemia, multiple sclerosis, AIDS.you name it, she’s got it. Tucker for broadening my horizons and sending me this book for review - what a blast!Ĭhristine is your typical mom, wife and friend with one exception: Every little tic, bump, muscle spasm or even zit is her potential death, in her mind anyway. Apparently I’ve been missing out if there are authors like this one writing with us gals in mind. I usually don’t pick up books like this on my own, as I generally don’t tend to gravitate toward contemporary women’s lit.

I Kill Me by Tracy H. Tucker