Review: I Kill Me: Tales of A Jilted Hypochondriac by Tracy H. Tucker

Christine Bacon has a fatal attraction. To all things fatal. A veteran hypochondriac, her near-death experiences are exacerbated when her husband proposes they have a menage a trois with Eleanor, his busty British massage therapist, to "shake things up." Christine reluctantly agrees (although she is more wholesome than threesome), never expecting just how much she'd be rattled. As her marriage to Richard, a/k/a "Dick," falls apart, so, too, does Christine, whose fear of her own demise causes her to research every freckle, blemish, cough, bump, lump, tingle and hiccup. She isn't a doctor, but she plays one on the internet.

There is solace for Christine: in raising daughters Lily and Carli, leaning on her friends, and wearing out the shower massager. In order to heal, she struggles to become her own person and to view her symptoms (and ex-husband) as less malignant, while searching for that special someone who will love her--despite her grave condition.

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Part hilarious antics, part disturbing situations, all around enjoyable read.  I'm a slight hypochondriac myself so those parts of this book were a little hard for me to read as they disturbed me, but overall, I liked the story of Christine. Spunky daughters, solid friends, a promising new relationship, and a meddling mother all combined into a story of a woman that has to learn to overcome her issues and stand on her own, moving forward from her sleazy ex-husband and the life that she had been stuck in.  Tracy Tucker has a talent for writing uniquely individual characters and mixing them up with each other. She writes Christine as a strong, albeit flawed, character that understands how frustrating her issues are to other people while being unable to control herself from the compulsive obsessions. When Christine has her ultimate breakthrough, I wanted to cheer for her and give her a hug for finally "getting it", gaining control.  Tracy writes with compassion and humor, mixing them together expertly and leaving you feeling that you have had a fulfilling journey, alongside her characters.