The Great Unexpected by Dan Mooney is about an unlikely friendship between two old men in a nursing home.

My apologies for the delay in review of this wonderfully charming and heartwarming book! I was sure I had already written one!

Mooney has done a absolutely fantastic job with the narrative of this humorous tale of friendship. I laughed, I cried, I spent very long and thoughtful periods (during reading and after finishing the book.)

True to it’s title, it was a very unexpected story. I take my hat off to Mooney for such an enjoyable read.

"That life was no longer his. All ancient history. But at least he was still in charge of something. At least he could still end it any way he wanted."


Dan Mooney's The Great Unexpected approaches topics that have been touched upon frequently in literature; the struggles of coping with ageing, suicidal urges, and friendship. At first glance, this novel doesn't appear to be one that will leave a lasting impression, as the summary presents it as a run-of-the-mill story about friendship. However, The Great Unexpected quickly proves itself to be a memorable, beautiful novel that won't just be lost in a sea of millions of stories that have covered these topics already.


This novel follows the story of Joel Monroe, an old man living in a retirement home, who has become bitter and closed off from everyone following the death of his wife. As he becomes fed up with the controlling and condescending atmosphere of the retirement home, he makes plans to kill himself. Then, a new resident and retired actor, Frank de Selby/Adams, arrives, and the pair quickly become friends. Joel tells Frank about his plans to kill himself, and Frank decides to help him through finding the perfect method to do so.


While the premise seems quite dark, the story presented is actually heartwarming, and has a consistent level of humour through Joel and Frank's constant lighthearted clashing. It approaches mental health in a different way, as we see Joel's closest friend assist him in brainstorming how to commit suicide. This is a stark contrast from the often explicit message delivered in novels about suicide, which is to seek help and talk to someone. Initially, Mooney's approach looks highly problematic, but as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that the author doesn't believe suicide is the answer. This is delivered in a subtle and touching way.


The entirety of the novel revolves around Joel and Frank's friendship, and as they become closer, it becomes apparent that Frank is actually attempting to prevent Joel's death. He does this by dismissing and critiquing every suicide method Joel suggests and refuses to give him any help in finding a method. At first, this appear to be a part of Frank's assistance, but it soon becomes apparent that this is a way of warding Joel's mind away from suicide.


Another way that the novel subtly saves its main character is by having the two men explore the outer world by breaking out of the retirement home. This makes it clear that they aren't prisoners of the home, which was Joel's main reason for wanting to kill himself. Seeing them explore the city that lays outside the retirement home inspired a feeling of freedom from the earlier claustrophobia of the home, which Mooney depicts wonderfully. The only issue with these parts was that as the breakouts to the outside world occur multiple times throughout the novel, it tends to get a little formulaic and predictable in places.

However, these minor flaws are easy to ignore in Mooney's incredible depiction of the beauty of living through these nightly explorations. The novel is enhanced by the warm way in which he writes the characters, and it is easy to get attached to them. Following Joel and Frank's story was thoroughly enjoyable, as their friendship proved to be humorous and touching.


The writing style for this novel is simplistic, but The Great Unexpected proves that writers do not need to rely on complex writing techniques to convey the importance of staying alive, and of friendship. This was an incredible novel from start to finish, and one that is bound to stay with the reader long after finishing it.


Final Rating: 4/5

This is a sometimes-poignant tale of how an elderly man fails to cope with his role in the world after the death of his wife but I found it overlong and in places, mawkish. I think it has lots to think about but whether or not it's entertaing will depend on your personal experience with old age, depression and suicida ideations.

What I read of the book was exceptional but the content triggered me so I was not able to finish it.

Joel feels like a prisoner in his own life. Mourning the loss of his beloved wife and feeling distanced from his daughter and grandchildren he thinks he is just waiting for death. So he decides he will make his own choices and welcome death with open arms. If he can control nothing in his life he can control his own death. And then Frank arrives.
This book is both hilarious and poignant. You quickly grow to love the characters (all of them) and, whilst Joel’s emotions are treated entirely seriously and raise thought provoking responses, the story is always told with fondness and a smile. Heartbreaking one moment and upliftingthe next, this book really had me hooked. I often felt it was a less “Hollywood” version of “The Bucket List” and I do think this would translate quite well to film, though some of Joel’s internal monologue would be a loss. The relationships underpin this book and therefore great characters are essential and this was certainly achieved, but beneath all this was a worrying sense of recognition towards the way we treat our elderly. An unmissable read.

Joel is an elderly man, lonely in a residential home; his wife died a few years ago, his recent roommate has just passed away and he doesn't have great relationships with his daughter or grandchildren. Enter Frank, Joel's new roommate, who listens to his plans of suicide and helps him develop them. Quickly, a strong friendship forms between the two men - could this be a new lease of life for Joel?
A sweet, endearing story - I enjoyed it a lot.