The Half Life of Joshua Jones by Danny Scheinmann

by Danny Scheinmann

Joshua Jones' life is falling he's lost his job, his wife has left him for another woman, and he's been kicked out of his flat. On the precipice of homelessness and defeat, he has a chance encounter with a beguiling stranger, Angela, triggering a series of surreal events that will blow his world wildly off course.

Angela, an impulsive femme fatale, has also reached a low point. Seeking refuge from her troubles in the arms of a stranger, they share an intimate moment of tenderness in a café. But as she walks away from Josh, she steps quite deliberately into the path of an oncoming bus.

As Angela lies in a coma, Josh – magnetically drawn to her and unable to shake the effects of their brief but powerful encounter – pretends that he is her boyfriend, inextricably binding their fates. But as his obsession grows, so does the danger of his situation. With his life continuing to unravel, he begins to question his own sanity until the shocking discovery of Angela's real identity finally reveals the chilling truth about himself.

The Half Life of Joshua Jones is a striking blend of psychological drama and romantic fairy tale, full of dark humour, mystery and wonder that will grip you from first page to last.

Hardcover

First published March 24, 2016

About the author

DANNY SCHEINMANN is a writer, actor and storyteller. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

"Random Acts of Heroic Love" was in the Sunday Times Top Ten Bestsellers for 6 weeks and has now been translated into 21 languages.

His new novel "The Half Life of Joshua Jones" is out in paperback on June 1st. Published by Unbound.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Half-Life-Jo...

Reviews

[Natallia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so so so so so glad that my friend recommended I read Random Acts of Heroic Love almost 6 years ago because it meant that I was introduced to the amazing talents of Danny Scheinmann (who I keep thinking is Robert Scheinmann, so I'm sorry, but I'll get it right I'm sure). As soon as I found out that this book was due to be published, I pre-ordered it. When it arrived I had a moment of panic. I worried that it might be a bit of a Dan Brown and just be the same story told in a worse way each time... but my anxieties about this book were completely annihilated after Chapter 1. To say I didn't put this book down once would be to lie, I do have a job after all! But, please Danny Scheinmann, keep writing. You have pure talent right there and *spoiler alert* you are not a boring author to read! Really so pleased with this book! It differs in genre to his first, which is normally a faux pas that authors make, trying to be different, but Scheinmann has pulled this off effortlessly. Cannot wait to see what more he has in store for us! Just please don't make us wait almost 10 years again!! :) Or maybe do, because if that is what it takes to write an amazing book, so be it! I'll just have to be patient! :)

[Jason RB · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book. Really captivating hence why I started it this morning and didn't put it down till finished. Have to admit three quarters of the way through I thought oh crap a great book ruined by a crap ending then bam a quick twist in the plot and balance was restored to the universe. The story is fun with great characters and engaging sub plots well worth reading

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, a little disappointing if the reviews are to be believed but interesting concept

[Zee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating - 3.5

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, I wondered why the story was so bizarre in places and why we had to have those not very good drawings throughout. Nevertheless I read on as the storyline was very intriguing. Closer to the end I began to get the feeling that it was not what it seemed and was blown away by Josh's realization.

Now everything that seemed a little off becomes clear and I can say that I was absorbed throughout the book, drawn into the dark humour, absurd and unpredictable action and impossible situations that Josh found himself in.

Absorbing and very compelling, this book provides an amazing insight into coma patients and what the human brain is capable of.

Incidentally, the book was came about through the creation of Unbound - an old idea for book publishing brought back to life and is supporting authors to write the books they want to write.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was one of those moments in the library where I knew that I was going to finish a book that day and needed to find a quick read for the rest of the weekend.
A quick glance in the modern fiction section and my eyes came across this little gem. I read the blurb, thought it was interesting, so checked it out and headed home.

Well, as soon as I started to read, I was hooked. I had to read it around work, such is the burden of a reader, but I looked forward to going home and picking up the story again.
I read this with ease. I found it so compelling and I was interested from the start to the finish.

I also really enjoyed the story of the creation of the book. Unbound sounds such a good idea for aspiring writers.

Thanks!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was inspired to read this after adoring Danny Scheinmann's debut, Random Acts of Heroic Love. The Half Life of Joshua Jones takes Scheinmann into new exciting new territory, set in contemporary north London alongside atmospheric excursions to Norfolk and Wales. Highly readable, with engaging characters, this book was difficult to put down. Its intelligent observations and philosophical questions raised throughout make this an enjoyable slice of modern fiction and a worthy addition to the Unbound canon.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story that follows Josh as he begins to make sense of life and himself after losing his job and his wife. Great descriptive writing with some bizarre twists and turns that all come to an interesting conclusion. A great little read.

[Georgia-Mai Annis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one day. I couldn’t tear myself away from the literary artistry that this novel contains. With each turn of a page, I became more entangled with the story & needed to know what would happen next. Highly recommend this to anyone looking to lose a day to a powerfully moving book.

[Kieran Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange one. The first few chapters are so badly written I nearly gave up, but for some reason around the middle it gets riveting.
The twist is a bit obvious but it trundled along to a reasonably satisfying ending. Three stars.

[Mr. Eric Studman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting twist to the end, easy to read and very funny. Definitely recommend.

[Lyndsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept. Lots of triggers.

[Derek Holmes · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book funded by crowdfunding. I guessed the ending, or twist fairly early on. Didn't rock my world. It seems to think it's a lot cleverer than it actually is. Maybe I'm being harsh.

[Kathleen Foley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overambitious, confused nonsense.

Whatever interest I had in the plot was let down by flat, indistinct characters and the authors inability to ‘show not tell’. Pages upon pages of dreary and often pointless exposition, and obvious dialogue that gives no impression of a real conversation made this mere 300 page ‘book’ a difficult one to finish.

The ending, an anti-climatic amalgam of the most overused and grating tropes imaginable, was in short, a complete cop-out. Here, the reader is treated like an imbecile as a series of inconsequential characters state explicitly the symbolism and ‘clever’ links between Josh’s reality and his comatosed hallucinations.

1/5. I did not enjoy this book.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the long-awaited second novel by the author Danny Scheinmann and is published by Unbound, who seek sponsorship for a book from the public before it is published in exchange for an early copy of the book and your name in the back. I like this publishing concept and having absolutely loved Random Acts of Heroic Love, which stayed in my mind for many years and which I reread recently, I didn't hesitate to pledge the cash towards Danny's next book. I received my copy last week and couldn't wait to finish what I was reading and get stuck in, which I did yesterday and finished the novel this evening. The Half Life of Joshua Jones is fairly short, well written and extremely readable, hence the speed with which I read. The story was engaging enough although a little slow, and not a great deal of anything of importance seemed to happen until the last few chapters when it all made sense and the depth of the entire novel shone through. Very clever and insightful overall with great characters, although I felt the ending was rushed and far more could have been made of the 'reveal' given the length of the build-up. A good read and clever concept but for me personally it did not have the impact of RAOHL.

[Araz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love Danny's new book. I started the book on a Friday evening and finished the next day. I found that I got very quickly engaged into Joshua's situation and somewhere in the middle of the book, I started to find it completely fantastical what was happening - as if it was a kind of magical realism. When finally the truth of the situation was revealed I was really shocked. It is a completely different book than his first one though the writing style is still so descriptive I could vividly imagine the different situations Joshua was finding himself in.

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it was better than I expected after the first few pages. Really interesting relationships and lots of suspense. Wasn't sure how I felt about the ultimate outcome but on reflection am okay with it. Great holiday read.

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable to read

[readkrautread · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mr Scheinmann cannot write. He gives me a new appreciation of those who can.
This is dull drivel trying to be clever.