Because Life's Lottery can be read not only as a standard novel but also in a traditional gamebook format, it is often classified as a "Choose Your Own Adventure book for adults".

The reader is invited to decide for themselves which philosophy to follow in reading the book and then is presented with Keith's birth in England on October 4, 1959.

The stream of thought is occasionally interrupted by another scene with the doctors, each of which slowly leaks information to the reader, who eventually learns that he is not assuming the role of a man named Keith Marion.

Rather, the protagonist is a woman named Marion Keith, who, in her coma, spends her time speculating on what her life might be like had she been born a man.

Joel Harley of Starburst Magazine gave a positive review, writing that Newman "handles the multiple narratives with aplomb, packing the book full of humour, horror...Clever, unpredictable and fresh, Life’s Lottery is a great read.