I’ve read many of Schriver’s books and have enjoyed them all, I even re-read So Much For That. But unfortunately this one is different. It’s an unpleasant read with a mean-spirited, hectoring tone. I enjoyed the premise and thought experiment, but it was marred by unnatural dialogue, unlikeable characters with seemingly no attachment to anyone but each other, and experiments with science fiction that were so unbearably thin I was embarrassed for the author. One bright spot was the dementia chapter, which flipped the expected script in a delightful way.

I’ve lost a loved one to ALS and ‘death with dignity’ and it was an emotionally intense and rich time, there is scope for a novel with great heart, relationships and insight from this concept - but this book isn’t it.