Oliver is a profoundly serious young man. He needs to be, as his position as Head undertaker and embalmer for his family’s Funeral Parlour necessitates a sombre outlook. He is quite masterful at comforting the grieving families that he encounters and lives his life in a serious and orderly fashion. His Mother, and Jean, have worked for the Funeral Parlour for many years and were there when Oliver’s father was in charge.
As Oliver is approaching forty years, he begins to reflect on his life and realises that time is moving quickly and those nights when he is lonely, need to be addressed. His soul mate is Marie the florist, who is married to a rather thuggish gentleman. The opportunity to approach her passes Oliver by and it seems that all is lost until his mate introduces him to another lost soul. This seems that it could be the end of loneliness for both.
Several other characters are introduced to the plot. There is Edie, who is a pharmacist with a passion for candle making. She believes in the power of smell and produces candles that smell like the deceased person before they died. While Oliver is processing the changes he would like to make in his life, he needs to come to terms with a loss he sustained as a boy. His mother is very unemotional and insists on the strictest adherence to the guidelines for the business set down by his Father. By carefully analysing his life and needs Oliver comes up with some unusual ideas.
The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock is written with a tongue in cheek style of writing, coupled with a laconic humour which suits the character and the surrounds very well. The reader will be smiling, while at the same time wishing to give Oliver a nudge. He moves at his own speed though and eventually makes some satisfying decisions.
