If the topic of gun violence is important to you, this is a definitely a book worth reading. It strikes home on a number of topics including seniors, immigrants, guns, the NRA, and politics.
I once saw a news article about a schoolgirl that got killed by a stray bullet. As a reflex response to any shooting, a gun advocate commented that the schoolgirl would have been safer if she had a gun. I don’t understand how a gun protects against a stray bullet. If your viewpoint is similar to that gun advocate’s point of view, certain that guns always and only protect, this is not a book that you will enjoy.
Final Notice conveys the lack of respect, the frustration with diminished capabilities, and feelings of uselessness that many older Americans face. Anyone that’s been made to feel small or dismissed can relate. An older couple, Vince and Trudi, provide the overarching story that explores the issues of gun violence, especially among the elderly. Two different shootings involve senior citizens. Could they be related?
Vijay Patel seems to have it made with his advanced VT2 medical device prototype that’s like a super advanced Fitbit that can monitor health and even provide a final notice, a warning that tells you how long you have to live. The main premise of the book is how would you act if you knew when you would die?
When the VT2 prototypes go into human trials, a few of the testers get their final notice. This sets the main plot into motion. Once the high concept of the final notice kicked in, I felt much more engaged.
Because the book focuses primarily on the stories people facing their last days, most characters appear only briefly. This forces the book to be largely episodic, with the exceptions of three storylines: Vine and Trudi, Vijay Patel and his medical startup, and FBI agent Zoe Brouet who investigates shootings related to the VT2 prototypes.
In some ways, the novel is almost like a collection of short stories. Characters were well drawn and believable. Even secondary characters were vivid and as the book progressed, meeting new characters and seeing how they reacted to their final notice became something I looked forward to.
At first, it seems that everyone reacts to their final notice with a gun, but the reactions got more varied with some twists I didn’t see coming towards the end.
A number of subplots display how immigrants fit into the tapestry of our country in positive ways despite hurdles and intolerance. On this topic, I particularly liked the author comment after the ending that summarizes the topic well.
The novel examines the gun issue from every angle. One of the best insights I got from the book was one of the reasons for the escalation of police violence: police now assume everyone is armed. That adds extra tension to every encounter and makes possible escalations more possible. I've seen cops with automatic weapons and body armor in my condo complex before. So, that really made me think about cops assuming everyone is armed and the potential for danger is very real.
The social commentary in the book will resonate with a lot of readers. What are people supposed to do in this post-fact era? A growing climate of fear only makes guns more dangerous. In California, you don't even need training to own a gun, just the ability to pass a multiple-choice quiz.
The book could have easily added extra conflict with obvious tropes like an evil corporation doing a cover-up, but chose not to. I’m glad they didn’t take the easy path.
It’s a world drawn from a tapestry of personal stories with believable motivations. The closest to overall antagonists are the NRA and profit driven legislation.
I didn’t notice any grammatical errors, but there were two locations where there were spaces between parts of a hyphenated word. That’s such a minor quibble compared to all the truth and wisdom this book dispensed through the lens of fiction.
There were a few instances where Van Fleisher does break the forth wall, or interjects humor to prevent the dark subject matter of facing certain death from weighing on readers. While used sparingly, it was an effective device.
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars, although my own biases were completely in sync with the author’s. For a reader who identifies more with the NRA, their rating might be considerably lower. The vivid characters were the highlight of the read. I sincerely hope this book can change some minds on the important topic of gun violence. It certainly deepened my understanding of the issue and gave me an appreciation of what senior citizens go through. I absolutely loved the ending and the questions for book clubs at the end was a nice touch. This is a book worth talking about.
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It will make you stop and think while reading it and long after you finish it.
This is a thought-provoking book that will make you stop and think while reading it and long after you finish it. Although the story is a work of fiction, the scenarios described could happen in real life. From gun control issues to politics, being a victim to being a survivor, not knowing when you will die too if you know the date of your death, interactions with different races and immigration issues, this book has it all.We go from one side of the country to the other as we find out how a "Final Notice" affects people differently. But through it all is the question... can the FBI figure out what is happening? Are the deaths related to the "watch" or are they random murders?What would you do if you knew when you were going to die? Would you have some "unfinished business" to do, someone or something to "take care of", do something you've "never thought about doing before", or would you "give up" knowing the end was near? Everyone handles impending death differently, and this book shows us how differently people react if they are sure there will be no consequences to their actions, as they will be dead anyhow.Vince and Trudi are an elderly couple that we follow as they go through being a victim, acknowledging their older-age-status, deciding if getting a gun is the way to protect themselves, to impending death, and ending with the decisions they make. Their actions and the consequences of their actions was interesting. Then, when I thought I had figured out what they were going to do or what would happen next a new problem/issue/death would pop-up.The FBI agent is an interesting character as she tries to tie the watch and the deaths together while looking at it all objectively. She has her work cut out for her, but she does not give up trying to figure out what is going on and how it all ties together.A lot of reference to the NRA and a program where seniors can get a discount for buying a firearm is included. Remembering that this is a work of fiction, I still wonder if at some time this might come true. Different points of view on this subject are discussed in this book, so you can make your own conclusion.Politics is another matter that is included, and that was one part of the book I didn't enjoy reading. It seemed to go into the political issue too much for me as it dragged on and on. But was probably well written if you don't mind discussing politics.There's a bit of a throwback to protesting-times, which makes the story interesting. I didn't have that figured out until it happened.I liked how the story portrays an unbiased view of immigrants. The struggles they go through, the courage they show, the compassion for others, and all they overcome in this story is remarkable. You realize while reading that these could and probably do happen now.The ending made me want more, but with the added epilogue at the end, I felt better. Be sure to read the epilogue or you'll be wondering what happened to the characters.The book goes from one part to the other without confusing you, which makes it easy to follow. Overall, while thought-provoking, I enjoyed this book! This book was so intriguing and thought-provoking, I could not stop reading it!
Top reviews from other countries
Bronagh Donnelly
A question for everyone to prompt reflection.
Reviewed in Canada on August 20, 2023
Christopher Cox
great plot, and a brilliant ending
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2018
