The Dearly Departed

This may be my favorite [a:Elinor Lipman 63681 Elinor Lipman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1482327276p2/63681.jpg] novel so far. Maybe I'm just morbid, but having it start with two accidental deaths and uncovering the secrets of the deceased lives post mortem intrigued me. Sunny lost her mother, Fletcher lost his father, and one of them lost both. (No spoilers.) It all happens in a little burg named King George, NH, where everyone knows everyone's business. I think one of the interesting aspects of the novel was how much baggage Sunny carried from high school even at 31. Maybe returning to her home town brought it all back but I think we all have those vague tendencies. Once in grammar school, someone says you have a big nose, and you still remember that when you turn 80. In Sunny's case, she was an excellent golfer who made the guys' varsity team in high school. However, as the first female ever on the team, not to mention the best golfer on the team, she took a lot of flack for trying to be part of the team.Insecurities abound in this story. The local doctor has them, a political candidate has them, her campaign manager has them, and even the chief of police is riddled with self-doubt. Seeing all those neuroses connected by a dead man and woman is the fun of the plot. Lipman really turned on her storytelling chops to write [b:The Dearly Departed 459337 The Dearly Departed Elinor Lipman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320404587l/459337.SY75.jpg 447819]. I had a ball reading it.