Review ~ The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle

Hodder & Stoughton
19 April 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

What's it all about..

Whatever their friends and teachers might have expected, neither Danny nor James is currently running the country.

Depressed and unemployed, Danny is facing an ultimatum from his girlfriend Maya: if he doesn't get out and get a job, she's leaving.

It was an accident that changed James's life and now he is looked after affectionately by his parents. But his sister Martha believes that the role of full-time carers is destroying their lives - and infantilising her brother.She suggests that James should go into a respite home while her parents take a break.

This is the story of Danny and James, but also of the families who love them and of the women they love. It is a story of many surprising twists, by turns funny and sad, painful and uplifting, and marks a brilliant new stage in the writing career of one of Britain's favourite novelists.

My thoughts about it..

From the very start of this lovely book I was immersed in the combined story of Danny and James.

Two men who once had so much potential but then life and the fickle finger of fate intervened and sent them both travelling along a bumpy road which neither of them could ever have envisaged.  Both men once attended the same school as boys and whilst they were not exactly close friends they did, sort of, know each other. Years later, they meet as adults but by this time their circumstances have changed beyond measure.

The blossoming of an unlikely friendship between Danny and James, is the basis for this story which will take them away from their comfort zones and into a world which, if they are brave enough, is alive with possibility.

The author has really captured the unpredictability of life, and of how the repercussions of this change in fortune can have a devastating effect on friends and family. In many ways it's a sad story about lost opportunities but the writing is filled with such warmth and wit that the sadness becomes bearable. And yet, it's not all about unhappiness, although, both James and Danny have more than their fair share of misfortune, but rather, it's more about the way that both of them deal with the hand that fate has played them which gives the book its heart and soul.

I've read several books by this talented author and have enjoyed every one of them but there is something rather special about The Man I Think I Know which really caught my imagination, so much so that I read the story with both tears and smiles, and by the end of the story I felt as if I had said goodbye to two friends.

About the Author

Previously an Agony Uncle, Mike Gail is a freelance journalist who has contributed to a variety of magazines. His bestselling novels include My Legendary Girlfriend, Mr Commitment, Turning Thirty, His'n'Hers, and Brand New Friend.

Website

Twitter @mikegayle

Amazon UK

Review ~ The Hope Family Calendar

Hodder&Stoughton
2016

A bit of blurb...

Tom Hope is broken. Ever since his wife Laura died he hasn't been the same man, and definitely not the same father. Luckily however, his mother-in-law Linda is there to pick up the pieces and look after his two struggling daughters, Evie and Lola.

But Tom getting arrested on the first anniversary of his wife's death is the last straw for Linda.

She decides on drastic action, and in a final attempt to make Tom reconnect with his daughters, Linda leaves for Australia. Now, with two fast-maturing girls on his hands, Tom has to learn how to accept his responsibilities and navigate the newly discovered world of single fatherhood - starting immediately.

While Linda finds her journey brings more than she bargained for, Tom suddenly has only himself to rely on. 

Will he fall back into grief or finally step up and be the father his girls need?

My thoughts about the book...

From the start of The Hope Family Calendar you can't help but be drawn into Tom's story. Devastated by the loss of his wife, Laura, he is struggling to care for his children and relies heavily on his mother-in-law to pick up the pieces. But sometimes tough love is what's needed and when Tom gets arrested on the first anniversary of his wife's death, well, his mother in law Linda feels it’s now make or break time for To who needs to take back control of his life. Leaving him to fend for himself and the children is not easy but Linda does what she thinks, under the circumstances to be the best thing for everyone.

What the follows is the story of a man who is shattered into a million pieces, who is trying his best to make everything normal, but normal doesn't always work out. Tom needs to figure out, with the help his children, just how to go forward so that they can all begin to mend and heal and maybe, one day,  go forward as a new family unit.

The author writes with great warmth and compassion and shows both the strength and, with huge insight shows the vulnerabilities of all of the characters. From the start of the story both Tom and Linda have their own emotional journeys to travel on and I looked forward to reading their individual stories in alternate chapters. And yet, right at the heart of the novel, it mustn't be forgotten that the children were also grieving the loss of their mother and the way that their progression was explained also added depth in what is a very fascinating insight into modern family life.

 I am sure that fans of Mike Gayle's previous novels will find much to enjoy in this book as it has all the fine attention detail that we have come to know and love about his books.

Best Read With ...A large mug of tea and a crispy bacon buttie, ketchup on the side..

About the Author

  

Previously an Agony Uncle, Mike Gayle is a freelance journalist who has contributed to a variety of magazines including FHM, Sunday Times Style and Cosmopolitan. His bestselling novels include MY LEGENDARY GIRLFRIEND, MR COMMITMENT, TURNING THIRTY, HIS 'N' HERS and BRAND NEW FRIEND. He keeps a website at www.mikegayle.co.uk and can be found on Facebook and on twitter.com/mikegayle

My thanks to Hodder&Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review The Hope Family Calendar