Under Control

            I just finished reading a publisher’s advance review copy of Everything’s Under Control, a delightful novel written by our classmate, Roger Mills. It will hit the market in paperback and e-book from Bancroft Press in late June 2026. The story concerns Luke, a retired trauma surgeon, living alone except for his beloved dog, AnnyBess (check out the story behind the name). Luke’s adult son and daughter ask him to move to an assisted living facility to keep an eye on his ex-wife, who lives there. The kids feel she is suffering from cognitive decline that leaves her vulnerable to a ruthless attorney who is scheming to hijack her estate.

 

            The plot, which has some surprising twists, is not, for me, the book’s main delight. It’s a character study, and I enjoy getting inside the mind of a guy my age – mainly, his attempts to keep everything under control, and then his success in redefining himself and his goals. Early in the book he is laid off from his full-time post-retirement job, a change that, along with the request that he move, makes him confront what his children see as the isolated and rather rigid bachelor life he has been living. The book explores his hard-fought effort to reclaim his life and his fractured family. It’s a book about second chances.

 

            There’s more. I am fascinated by the book’s portrayal of the way a trauma surgeon thinks – the appeal of being in charge of the O.R. and getting traumas under control. Luke has lost that position, and with it a chunk of his identity as he moves into a life that is not so much under his control. There are also some fascinating glimpses of the way attorneys can work a legal process, and, more importantly, how a fairly rigid and distant divorced father can connect with the children whom the divorce made distant.

 

            On a more personal note, it occurs to me that many people my age may be moving into a similarly rigid and isolated life. Perhaps we need to redefine our family connections. Let’s look for ways to redefine ourselves! No need to be rigid and distant . . ..

 

            The book is also a lot of fun. I really enjoyed all the reference to the music of the 60s and 70s – Matt and his son would work fragments of old song lyrics into their conversations. (I missed about half of them.) And I also enjoyed the relationship and conversations Luke had with his dog, whose responses were typically brief. The book is also sprinkled with brief quotations from poets and philosophers – showcasing the author’s liberal arts education.