Now, to the main character Angus Moody...
He's dead.
No, that's not a spoiler, rather a key plot point, as the story primarily centres around Angus and his 'life after death' in a mystical realm not fully understood by even the longer term inhabitants who linger there. See Moody died a horrible death and pines for his 'living' wife back on Earth, Gracie, however, stuck in a supernatural realm located somewhere between heaven and hell, all he can do is haunt her (aka scare the sh!t out of her with his paranormal panache). It's during these hauntings that things really get interesting...
Forced to witness Gracie move on with her life (if I can say that, given Angus willingly seeks out Gracie in the 'real world'), he spirals into a state of perpetual torment leading to addiction, destructive behaviour, and questionable life, err, death choices. It's during these chapters I completely flipped on my feelings towards Angus and his killer...(let's just leave that gem there for prospective readers).
The bigger picture plays out between these paranormal visitations and Angus's 'life' in death. Along the way we discover a little more about what makes Angus tick and how he views not only himself but the wife he left behind in the land of the living. It provokes a heady mix of sense and sensibility (cheesy I know but I had to do it) along with providing an interesting insight into Angus's moral compass.
If I could sum up Here Goes Nothing in the most ominous way possible in four words it would be: when a stranger calls... let the imagination run wild, strap in, and prepare yourself for large chunks of time utterly consumed by this inventive and entertaining piece of surreal fiction by one of my new favourite authors in Steve Toltz.
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