The Husband Who Refused to Die by Andrea Darby seemed too thought-provoking to pass up. We follow Carrie, who is widowed after her husband, Dan, unexpectedly passes away at a fairly young age. Before his death, Dan made the decision to have his body frozen after he dies, in hopes of one day science being advanced enough to be able to bring him back. Carrie struggles with not only the death of her husband and now being a single mom, but the thought that her husband isn’t truly gone. Two years after Dan’s death, Carrie is trying to get back into the dating world, keep her trying teenager happy, and simply find happiness again. But another roadblock is in the way when a newspaper features Dan’s death and his decision, and also the cost of what his decision was. Suddenly Carrie is dealing with threatening letters and vandalism – and an even more distressing revelation about her husband’s past.

This was definitely a thought-provoking read, just like I had anticipated. It was interesting to learn about a process that I hadn’t really heard of much until reading this, but of course it has a lot more. The relationships inside the book were interesting, with Carrie’s daughter, sister-in-law, and also the romances. The ending was a little surprising to me on several levels, but it also made me quite happy. Andrea Darby is clearly a strong writer and The Husband Who Refused to Die is a book that had me talking to others about the story inside.

“I’ll never forget the day Dan told me he wanted to be frozen when he died.” Carrie Colwell is baffled by her husband’s interest in cryonics, but she reluctantly supports his idea. When Dan dies due to a rare cardiac defect, Carrie couldn’t even grieve properly; there’s no burial, no grave to visit, just a frozen body in a lab in Arizona. She tries her best to move on, even dating again. However, it’s hard when almost everybody knows about your late husband, who firmly believed that he will come back to life when science can figure out how to resurrect him.

The Husband Who Refused to Die by Andrea Darby sheds an interesting light on cryonics. I’m aware of it, although have never given it much thought. Carrie becomes a single parent raising a moody teenager, has to deal with the well-intended but mostly bothersome sister-in-law, the return of an old boyfriend, and the disrespect of her privacy by the media; in Carrie’s case, the local paper mentions her husband again two years after his death. To top it all, she’s being taunted with mysterious silent calls and hateful messages. Nevertheless, the incorporated witty humor counterbalances the heavy theme of loss and grief, giving a pleasant warmth to the story.

With emotional support from good friends Imogen and Mark, I think Carrie handles her obstacles pretty well, albeit with some mistakes. Sunny, Dan’s sister, may be a nuisance to her, but I found myself eager to know what was behind all her positive thinking facade. Overall, the original premise and plot, as well as the clear writing, made this a solid read from Darby.