The Easy Way Out
Steven Amsterdam
Evan’s job as a nurse is a little more complicated than the usual – instead of saving lives, he is easing dying people into a quicker way out. He hands the poison to those with life-destroying illnesses, but can’t help them drink it.
This is a thoughtprovoking novel for anyone who has seen a loved one in pain. Instead of watching your loved one in pain, they can take a suicide drink to end it all. We see Evan witness a variety of situations, and personally I think his job is an important one. It’s not the easy way out at all, a lot of thought goes into it.
Evan. I’m not sure about your ending. I could have had a bit more clarity there. Or perhaps a bit left. Despite the novel seemingly leading to the only possible conclusion, it felt to me like it was a surprise.
It hardly seems worth noting, but Evan is dating a couple – a gay couple. This is what I should expect to see in fiction – it’s not the fact that he is gay that makes the novel move along, its his compassion for all people. His relationships are important, but they don’t define him as it sometimes does in other ‘finding yourself and being gay’ novels.
I loved this novel. I’m undecided on whether I will reread it, but I did honestly enjoy it enough to want to go back and read key passages. I’m going to give it 5 stars because I just couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and I was fascinated every step of the way.
Hachette | September 2016 | AU $29.99 | Paperback
