Review: The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper (February 11, 2014)
• ISBN-10: 006228553X
• Source: Publisher

Bartholomew Neil has cared for his mother for the entire thirty-eight years of his life. When she passes away from cancer, he’s left with an emptiness in his life.  He has no concept of living on his own, free of obligation and co-dependence. Prior to her death, he finds a “Free Tibet” letter from Richard Gere in his mother’s underwear drawer. His mother had a long-standing obsession with Gere, going so far as to call Bartholomew “Richard” in the days leading up to her death. Bartholomew feels that he has some sort of cosmic connection to Richard and begins writing a series of very personal, heartfelt letters, to Gere.  Bartholomew’s new lease on life is further hampered by mental and physical restrictions that tend to hold him back, a man who has lived a sheltered life now forced to deal with the world alone.

His only companions in life now are a struggling former priest, a “Girlbrarian” (the object of his crush) and her foul-mouthed brother. Together, the embark upon a journey that reveals to Bartholomew that he isn’t as hindered and dependent as he once thought. An adage his mother used “the good luck of right now” allows him to grasp the concept of embracing and accepting the life that has been dealt to you, and that any misfortune dealt to you may be a benefit to someone else.

Told in a series of letters to Richard Gere, The Good Luck of Right Now is an extremely heartfelt, heartwarming story rich with an equal measure of hope and humor. This is a book you should pick up and devour if you are having a particularly bad day, for its guaranteed that Bartholomew, and his naive yet hopeful outlook on life, will raise your spirits. This is a novel that will surprise you in its simple abundance and you will find yourself pausing as you read so that you may ponder the message relayed by Bartholomew and his quirky companions on his journey to a new life. Highly, highly recommended!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this title. Don’t forget to check out the other stops in this tour!