I Am Dead

Book excerpt: Peter Smith is dead. No getting away from that. Or is there?Being dead is the least of his worries when he finds himself prosecuted in an ethereal court on dubious charges and the prosecutor is his brother, Stuart. When Peter is sent to the waiting room, he re-lives his final day on Earth. We see his ambiguous relationship with his mother, who he lived alone with, and his brother Stuart and his wife Diane, who bring news of pregnancy. Peter is devastated at the news and leaves the house, only to be killed instantly. In the courtroom Stuart and the Judge preside over Peter's fate. When his mother's love interest The Major testifies, he reveals that Peter let a young woman, Lauren, die. Peter is sent back to die in her place and restore balance but he saves both Lauren and himself, causing a devastating change of events...Gareth is inspired by author Joseph Conrad and his struggle between existential awareness and moral obligation, particularly in his novel The Secret Agent. He also takes inspiration from Franz Kafka and D.H. Lawrence. I Am Dead will appeal to that man who wonders what society really has to offer him, or that woman who fears what society has planned for her...