Lazarus Man

 Lazarus Man by Richard Price

Can't say I thought a whole lot about this one. The title refers to the main character, whose life takes an

abrupt turn when he is found alive in the rubble of a collapsed building after 36 hours under a chunk of concrete. Miraculously, or so we think, he emerges unscathed. He becomes something of a folk hero, who is sought out to give speeches. He finds that he has something to say, and that he can express his thoughts in a way that moves people. He is a new man, and is able to move on from a downward spiral of a life that had descended into cocaine addiction. Turns out, though, he is something of a fraud. Footage of the collapse taken by a camera-obsessed local resident spots him running about in the immediate aftermath. So how did he end up under the concrete? He was tired, and lay down. Nevertheless, his words are true, and they help various other characters rise from the ashes of their own train-wrecked lives. 

I found this book a bit plotless and predictable.