Any Better Than This

LoveReading Says

During quarantine, a man crafts a larger than life story based on family history. ‘Any Better Than This’ by Eric Sean Rawson follows an author during the COVID-19 quarantine as he begins to craft a story around the events that led up to his parents' wedding in 1967. Heading back in time we follow Elliott Ames, a normal computer engineer working on a US defence department contract, heading to Berkeley for his wedding. Wrongly identified as a Soviet sympathiser, and finding himself with an eccentric hitchhiker he can’t seem to shake, his straightforward, well-planned life is about to become a lot more complicated. From his car breaking down to discovering his fiancée has commissioned a private-investigator’s report into him, Elliott’s life seems to all be going wrong at once. His frustrations in contrast to Morning Star’s carefree and easy going nature is funny, and their contrasts provide a catalyst for even more frustration for Elliott. The supporting cast of characters are quirky and entertaining in their own right, from the PD despising, slightly gung-ho FBI duo to a hypochondriacal KGB agent and drug dealers with their own scores to settle. As we follow Elliott’s story we also check back in with the author, in quarantine with his daughter, who has her own thoughts on the storyline and their family history. This cut back to the “real world” and out of Elliott’s narrative is an interesting concept and they are brief so it doesn’t pull you away from Elliott and Morning Star too much. In essence, I think that this story is about still being able to find your way, even when the road you’re travelling has a few unexpected diversions. ‘Any Better Than This’ is a wild ride and I think it would entertain readers looking to suspend belief for a while and enjoy a more outlandish drama.

Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador

LoveReading Ambassador

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