Ray in Reverse

Ray Williams, the deceased protagonist of Daniel Wallace's tragicomic second novel, finds himself in Heaven's "Last Words" discussion group. Embarrassed by his prosaic death (from cancer at age 50) and his inconclusive final utterance, "I wish," he initially fabricates a more bloody and dramatic ending and, unmasked, storms off in a huff. His life then passes before us in a series of vignettes, beginning with his slow dying while the backyard birds make nests of his discarded hair and ending with an innocent act of simple heroism at age 10.Each chapter reveals an emotionally pivotal moment in Ray's life - his wife's infidelity and the near break-up of his marriage, the treehouse he built for his son and used himself as a drinking refuge, his sexual confusion, early relationships, one-night stands, childhood mysteries. The chapters are complete stories; some brief and poignant, some more complex, revealing harrowing secrets - jolting the reader and Ray too.Williams' comic touch is sometimes gentle, even sad, other times prickly and nightmarish. In one incident Ray hits a dog with his car and rather than driving on, stops, finds the dog's address from its tag and visits the animal's owners, thereby embroiling himself in an ugly, absurd scene between a warring couple.Ray is no angel. Often clueless, he is occasionally cruel, subject to the buffets of fate and capable of acts of spontaneous generosity. Wallace's ("Big Fish") rendering of him is sharp but empathetic, making his story compelling and real. The completeness of the vignettes sometimes leaves loose ends dangling, conveying the feeling that Ray has compartmentalized his life to avoid the mysteries of his own nature. The reverse structure reinforces this - showing how Ray got to where he ended up - not from a progression of events so much as the natural, halting, unknowable vicissitudes of one man's human nature.

Daniel Wallace is one of the original writers I've discovered in the past year. He's one of the few willing to step outside the box and try something different."Ray in Reverse" is told in a reversed order--death begins, and childhood ends the book. It was immensely enjoyable and easy to read. I'm not sure what the significance of Ray's final words were, but I like the fact that you're allowed to think about it and come up with your own conclusions. I would reccomend this book to anyone and I'm looking forward to reading his first book.

I read the reviews for this book and had to check it out for myself. I laughed a lot and thought a lot. What I found most intriguing was how well the author was able to really define where innocence ended and jadedness began in Ray's life...or is that jadedness ended and innocence began. It certainly gave me pause in looking at my own life.All in all, it was an enjoyable read. I thought that the first chapter was absolutely hysterical. I didn't laugh that hard again until the very last line which was absolutely classic and probably portrays human nature,even at the end of our lives, more accurately than most of us would like to think.

I read BIG FISH, thought it was phenomenal, and sent in a five-star review. RAY IN REVERSE is even better--a brillant story, perfectly unfolded in distinctive prose. This novel should get six stars--it's the real article.

I got an advance copy of Ray In Reverse and I promise you - this truly is an amazing story! Daniel Wallace develops characters with an empathy and gritty reality that exhibits courage... and faith in the reader... more than any contemporary author I have read. Like in Big Fish, each character resembles someone you know well. And you won't always like the protagonist Ray because he is real: awkward, selfish and inconsiderate, yet fragile, gentle and kind. We join Ray at the end of his life and then glide chronologically backwards to his birth. It isn't always an easy ride - but Wallace never lets go. There is not a sentence in this book I would not take home and introduce to my family.