Review: Back to You...: The astonishing fate of John Fisher by Richard Plourde

Back to You...: The astonishing fate of John Fisher by Richard Plourde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

This was a compelling read following a man struggling to find his place in the world after battling with leukemia.  John has become self-absorbed coveting material things over experiences and relationships.  He has grown more and more caustic to his co-workers and unbeknownst to himself those material things he holds so dear now are not making him happy.  When forced to take a leave of absence from his job, he sets out on a journey of self discovery.  His aim is to reconnect with the person he was before cancer and perhaps reconcile some of his trauma from the past that is making him so angry and materialistic.

This was lovely redemption story about reconnecting with your past and mending lost relationships.  John starts out as a very unlikable character.  He is very entitled, thinks he knows everything, and is disrespectful to almost everyone around him.  Hence the reason he is put on leave of absence from his prestigious job.  As the story unfolds he reconnects with family and friends he hasn't seen in years.  He has to have hard conversations about why he chose to leave his hometown and break contact with everyone he knew.  As he has those conversations he gains clarity on his life and begins to break down some of the walls he has built over the years.  His priorities begin to shift and he begins to transform into better person.  John really redeems himself as we get to know him better, learn about his backstory, and understand what he wants his future to look like.

I loved Emma and Daniel in this.  They were great friends to John, and despite the long years of no contact and hurt he caused them, they were eager to jump right back into help.  They embark on a zany journey to find John's anonymous bone marrow donor, whom he feels is his one true love and will fix all of his problems.  As he reconnects with his friends and John revisits happier memories, he realizes that he doesn't need the most expensive watch, the fastest car, and the most beautiful woman on his arm for the night.  What he really needs is human connection.  

While I did find parts of the plot predictable, I did enjoy John's redemption ARC.  This is a great read.

Trigger warnings  <spoiler> mention of abortion, teen pregnancy, cancer, cancer treatment, alcohol use </spoiler>

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