The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock is the first novel by British author, Jane Riley. Thirty-nine-year-old Oliver Clock has a secret: for fourteen years, he has been in love with Marie, the florist who supplies Clock and Son Funeral Home. He had the opportunity, before Henry came along and married her, to tell her how he felt, but he hadn’t built up the courage, and then it was too late. But now he wonders if there is a chance for him: he resolves to ask her out…

Ever since his father died, Oliver Clock has run Clock and Son Funeral Home. He’s good at his job, reading his customers well and able to give them what they need during a difficult time. Oliver is a methodical man (some would say obsessive), good at sticking to a routine. He hasn’t changed much at Clock and Son: everything runs well the way Andrew Clock organised it.

Oliver makes lists of resolutions any time “my life needs reviving – jotting them down in a yellow, dog-eared notebook I’ve had for ages” Things like “Thou shalt not grow too large to fit comfortably into a standard-size coffin: I must start exercising” although most are soon abandoned, if they are actually embarked upon. But “Thou shalt find a way to ask Marie out.”

And then it’s once again too late. Marie reveals that she is terminally ill; any chance for them is gone. Marie dies and “I had to grieve on my own in private and hide the full extent of my grief in public. For unrequited love and grief make awkward bedfellows.” Poor Oliver “I was a burst water mains of grief, expunging my sorrow for Marie, pity for myself, my unrequited love and the loss of my dreams – however fantastical they might have been.”

But then Henry (angrily) reveals the contents of Marie’s diary: she secretly loved Oliver! This pulls him up out of his grief a little and allows him to function, something that is necessary when the business comes under pressure from competition. He realises that “By the time I turned forty I could be an out -of-work, loveless, still grieving funeral director who had been unable to keep the family business afloat.”

Kind-hearted Oliver is an easy protagonist to like, despite his quirky ways and his very human flaws. He’s the sort of person we would all hope could smooth the course through a stressful time. It’s heartening to watch him step out of his comfort zone, even if “It was draining trying to love things that didn’t love me back. It suited me to keep my adrenal glands on energy save and my blood pressure simmering on low.”

The support characters that Riley creates are just as appealing, even if sometimes they disappoint. The memory candle concept is a fascinating one which would surely fill a niche. Riley’s beautiful story features many timeless topics: inheriting the family business, traditional vs modern, grief, loneliness, fear and guilt, but also empathy and kindness. A wonderful, heart-warming debut novel that will have readers eagerly anticipating whatever this talented author does next.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK