Think: Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut and Franz Kafka getting together to write Chick Lit. In this brilliant romantic comedy and horror satire, a girl who believes she has psychic abilities decides to bring her recently killed boyfriend back from the dead - with funny and surprising results. It's got the horror satire of Palahniuk, the social comment of Vonnegut and surreal elements from Kafka. And all of that comes wrapped up in a Thelma and Louise road-movie journey of discovery and revelation that charts the developing relationship between spooky self styled barista Aurora and her boss, Portia, who owns the Psychic Deli. If "true love never dies" then magic is surely in the air when love and the occult collide. The love story of Aurora and Jimmy T cleverly reflects back on ancient faiths, magic spells and nature worship, but brings these practices up to date using modern cults like Eco Warriors, Celebrity, Terrorism and the surprisingly casual acceptance of Psychic Ability.
Cleverly woven around the perceptions of old and new is the human question - can Aurora, the new barista with the beaded dreads, really speak with the dead - or is she a woman on the on the verge of insanity? Portia, who runs the Psychic Deli's fake seances and Tarot nights, believes her new assistant has lost her mind. And she should know. Portia had her own personal reasons to pray for reincarnation, but gave up all hope of that a long time ago. Now, if anyone needs life support it's her. When they set up The Psychic Deli Detective Agency, Portia sees it as another psychic scam and hopes to profit from Auroa's psychic abilities. But London's east end becomes a B movie horror playground as the duo race against the dramatic Ramana Queen Of Evil to find a hidden spellbook. Guided by her dog-trapped boyfriend, it's an epic fight between Good and Evil that Aurora has to win. But is it really worth the sacrifice? Life After Death may be a big question for a comedy. More common is to discuss Love or Magic. Here, love and sanity part company as the reader is invited to explore what we once believed in and what we have collectively become.
The clever twist in the tail that pulls it all together makes this a unique, quirky and not at all soppy romance for teenagers and adults that laughs in the face of Death. Think: You are ready for How To Bring A Boyfriend Back From The Dead?