Dying a Virgin, How Not To
Imagine you die without having been truly in love.
Imagine dying without ever having had sex.
Now picture a life not lived to the fullest to top it all off.
Pretty bleak, huh? Tragic, I’d say.
Well, that’s exactly what happens to twenty-seven-year-old Delphie in Kirsty Greenwood’s novel, The Love of My After Life, who dies choking on a cheap microwaveable burger, alone in her apartment in London. And when she finds herself in Evermore, being shown the movie of what was her life, comically played to the soundtrack of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely”, she realizes her last years were a cycle of working a job she didn’t love but at least paid the bills, and evenings doomscrolling on her phone or watching T.V.
Day after day.
Month after month.
Years resembling nothing out of the ordinary.
A wasted life.
To make matters worse, the handsome man she briefly encounters in the afterlife who she has an instant connection with and thinks could very well be her soulmate, is abruptly sent back to Earth because oops, turns out it wasn’t actually his time yet. Luckily for Delphie, her afterlife therapist takes pity on her and offers her one last chance to return to Earth, but with a catch. She must find the man she just met (knowing only his first name and that he lives somewhere in London) and get him to kiss her out of his own free will or be stuck at Evermore forever.
10 days. Find the guy. Get the kiss. Save her life.
Okay, I’ll confess, the reason I loved this book was because I saw myself in Delphie. The homebody who preferred an evening in rather than out, who kept work colleagues and neighbors at a distance and made no attempt to date. Who was perfectly content in her own world, however small and somewhat solitary it seemed. Delphie didn’t know what life could be like until her quest forced her out of her apartment and comfort zone, and into a different way of living. One where she’s making friends, rediscovering her passion for art and falling for the unlikeliest of people. An accumulation of new experiences that makes her love her life. It made think about the infinite possibilities I might be missing out on in my own life. The adventures, friendships and probability of finding love that exists yet I’m not choosing to explore.
And the reality is, unlike Delphie, we won’t get another chance at life. This is it. So, all I can say is let’s live it to the fullest. Whether that’s going to gym (but like, for real this time) to get into better shape, taking up a new hobby, or packing your bags and moving to a different country altogether, let’s do it. We’ll never know what could be, who we’ll meet or even become if we never give ourselves the proper chance.
And if your keen on reading other witty, well-written and so fun to books from Kirsty Greenwood, who has become an instant favorite author of mine for writing about introverts like me and giving them the biggest and wildest adventures, here are two more recommendations:
- He Will Be Mine by Kristy Greenwood
About an English girl named Nora who works as an admin assistant and leads a rather introverted existence, that is, until she sets off to Los Angeles, California to meet Hollywood’s hottest new star after seeing him on the big screen. Believing this celebrity is her soulmate, she is determined to somehow find a way into his inner circle, get to meet him and make him realize they’re meant to be. Talk about a crazy adventure waiting to happen.
2. Big Sexy Love by Kirsty Greenwood
Olive’s best friend is literally dying and her last wish? For Olive to head to the big apple, as in America, to track down the man she considered her first love. The only problem? Olive doesn’t do spontaneous things like that. In fact, she’s never taken a single risk in life or even left her hometown. Yup, she’s happy with the same routine, living in her childhood home, and with no resemblance of a love life. But to fulfill her best friend’s dying wish she’ll have to overcome her fears and be brave for once.