I liked the concept of this book & the narration by the author made for a good, sometimes quite humorous, listen. It took me a while to get in to, but the second half of the book flew by & I was left hoping for a miracle as I'd come to really like James. It was really interesting to see the effect of a single message across the world & the memories from the different characters were a great way to show how it had all come to this moment on the train. The different perspectives also helped to show how a situation can be interpreted from each side.

However, the longer I leave this book the more I'm finding issue with it. It could be the relatively flippant approach to the subject of suicide, the unbelievable situations that have led James to this point or the ending - which I won't go in to to avoid spoilers.

On the whole a great premise, an interesting read, but for me, ever so slightly of the mark to get the big stars.

Mark Watson narrating this himself was really fun, great choice and great narrator with lots of black comedy and also a meaningful message underneath it. A really heart-warming story to make you think about what matters in life.

However, with the text (not the audiobook itself) I do have some issues. Racist portrayals of characters (James’ friend near the beginning), a huge amount of fatphobia (honestly it’s 2020, fat jokes aren’t funny and fatphobia is not a thing we wanna be perpetuating) and problematic portrayals of women (throughout).

This could have been a really important book but I am disappointed with these issues.

I loved the blurb about this book - a man decides to commit suicide and texts everyone on his contacts list to tell them what he is about to do and then switches his phone off. I felt the book started very well and I was intrigued to know what would happen. But about a third of the way through I got bored and the final two thirds took me an age to listen to. I feel the book could have been shorter, which would have helped.

Because of the subject matter this is quite a heavy read, though there are a few light hearted moments too. As I listened I wasn't quite sure how I wanted the book to end, but when I got there I found the ending a bit unrealistic!

However, Mark Watson narrated the book himself and did a very good job. I would give his next book a read/listen.

Contacts by Mark Watson
I liked this book, and enjoyed the storyline, but I wasn't exactly hooked on it. I would definitely read more by this author and did like him as a narrator.
I liked the multiple points of view, which helped gain insight into the character.
The story was quite original, and thought provoking.

I would like to thank Harper Collins and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.
A lonely man named James decides to take his own life. In the modern day equivelant of an old fashioned suicide note, he writes a short text on his phone and sends to all his contacts ( like a "black mirror" version of Michael MacIntyre's schtik) hence the title. The book then deals with how his contacts deal with the news and in flashback how he came to be in such a sorry state. Fair to say its not all rainbows and lollipops. There are numerous miseries heaped on our shy, good natured victim of life. I wont describe them, but leave them for the reader to find. However its not the big disasters that crack him but the multitude of small sadneses and loneliness that grind him down. Technology and in particular mobile phones form a thread through the book.
The author is a stand up comedian but this is not a humerous book. He wrings every little bit of guilt and anxiety possible out of the story. He makes you feel uncomfortable and socially awkward. It shows how an intelligent, affable person can be emotionally lost in the crowd. It is a very sad book. I may recommend it to friends but only if I feel they are strong enough to deal with the themes. I listened to the audio book. Mark Watson narrates the story and while the Welshman does not have the rich, melodious tones of a Michael Sheen or a Richard Burton, his voice is suited to the neurotic story. He is a sort of Welsh Woody Allen. The big plus for this book is that, at least in my experience, it will make rethink how you interact with others and you may learn to be a slightly kinder person. Thats pretty good going for a book.

Let me start by saying that usually I can’t stand an author reading their own work. In most cases an actor does a far better job. However, although a little stilted at times, I enjoyed Mark Watson’s reading of his book. It suited him and I felt his understanding of his characters shine through the narration.
As for the book itself, well, I was smitten! What a lovely tale. Someone who constantly does good by others finally has his worth registered. Except, he doesn’t really see his own worth and we will never know if he learns the truth for himself. James is an amazing character. He is not physically beautiful, doesn’t love himself and is swept aside by people. He is grittily real which is so rare in a protagonist. The ending of the book is so uncertain that it also feels closer to real life than the majority. I loved the story

Mark Watson has written a book so intense, dark and scarily relevant in today’s society. It is a study in mental ill-health, social media and what it’s like to be ‘contacts’ in a person’s life.

He tackles the subject of suicide with sensitivity yet still being honest enough to be painfully aware of the thought processes both as the person intending to carry out the suicide and as one of the many receiving that message. As someone that has walked the road – on both sides of the situation – I found parts comfortingly familiar and others intriguing and insightful, reading things I hadn’t considered before.

I even felt that Mark Watson narrating the audio version was a great choice too. There’s something about his voice which is halting and nervous yet genuine and raw that pitches the perfect tone for the inner monologue of Brian and that book overall.

If it were appropriate, because I’m not sure it is, I would say this book is beautiful. However, it did leave me wanting more, almost wanting to sit down over a cup of coffee or tea with Mark and just discuss it all further. The content inspired an intrigue into the complexities surrounding suicide and the world we live in, who we are connected with and how. It has left me with many things to consider.

Thanks NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Mark Watson for the opportunity to read this ARC.

🚨Reader caution and potential spoilers🚨 It goes without saying - this story covers the emotive and very delicate topic of suicide. So reader caution is advised for anyone who has been affected.

At the start, you know what James is planning to do, but it’s the after-effects of what happens next that you follow. How certain key people, from his ‘contacts’, respond when receiving this message and his reflections over his connections with the people in his life. The sheer emotion, flippancy, drama, urgency, desperation, naïveté that James and his contacts experience make for a very hard read. This is a study into modern day life, the frenetic pace of it, our interactions with one another, the impact these have on our lives and how older generations struggle to keep up with the next generations and the changes in technology.

As James thinks back to his past contacts with the various people in his life - you learn he’s a kind person, a protector but he’s also an incredibly lonely person. Life’s circumstances have been hard to him and he’s become alienated from his family and friends. As time has gone on he’s become lonelier and lonelier. And now he’s the one that needs protecting, but his family and friends have missed the small signals that he’s put out - his cries for help. And the contacts in his life are also on this road of introspection.

I really liked James and I wanted him to get his happy ending and that he’d learn those in his life do love him, do care for him and do want him around. This is a hard read, and whilst Watson uses this to help raise awareness of mental health, loneliness, suicide and despair that is too common, it’s still shocking. And the ending (with another character) doesn’t sit well with me. I feel that an ending with hope and positive messages would be more appropriate, including signposting messages (I ‘read’ an audiobook review copy so this might be included in the final published version). I did cry for James and his story will stick with me.

I’ve left it a couple of days to post this review and I’m still not sure how I feel about this story... so I’ll start with the positives...
I liked the narrator, Pacey throughout and often that is my biggest issue with audiobooks, that they are so much slower to “read“ than a physical copy. I like the idea of the author reading their own book as I feel they understand the story and where it’s heading and understand and the characters more.

There’s a really strong group of characters, A really good insight into why James found himself where he did, and given how unlikeable lots of them were no wonder James felt so lonely. And James himself is a lovable hero, and well drawn.

But my biggest issue was the heart of the story itself. I constantly found myself questioning treating such a serious subject as suicide in a book like this. It’s a story ultimately that is quite “ entertaining” and I’m not sure that this is the right vehicle for suicide. It felt flippant at times and too light hearted. But at other times I thought maybe that suicide being treated more mainstream and getting people to be more open and talkative was a good thing and maybe that’s what the author set out to do. I’m not sure. But I know that I felt uncomfortable throughout the entire book.

I read Mark Watson’s Hotel Alpha years ago and really enjoyed it; I remember the characters staying with me for a while afterwards and don’t know why I haven’t got round to buying and reading 100 Hotel Alpha Stories to prolong the pleasure. While it’s not now unusual for someone who’s made their name in one section of the arts to publish a novel, I imagine the results are rarely as good.
I’ve had some good experiences with audiobooks read by the author (Ben Macintyre and Jessie Burton spring to mind) so I listened to rather than read Contacts and think it really added to my enjoyment. Mark’s delivery is just right; having watched some of his marathon shows (which I highly recommend), it’s a voice I’m used to spending a lot of time with and it felt like being told a cracking story by an old friend.
The set-up is simple: how will those who have received James’s message react? And the execution is expertly done – both a race against time and full of nuance. I really liked hearing the perspective of characters with such a diverse age range, from millennial Megan to James’s Mum who feels behind the times. I found it interesting to consider how everyone we interact with sees us differently and perhaps no one knows us fully.
While Contacts is an enjoyable story, it’s also really touching given the subject matter. It’s easy to see how James feels as he does and how easily one’s mental health can deteriorate. I recommend this to anyone with even a little warmth in their heart.

I enjoyed this story but at the same time could not help feeling that it (almost) addresses a subject that needs to be treated with little less flippancy. The concept was good and the pace of story was fairly lively and there was a decent twist at the end. It probably goes some way to drawing attention to mental health issues in a less formal way but I wasn't able to get fully behind it.

I think there were also section breaks when the narrator changed that were not very obvious in the audio book; this threw me a couple of times for a minute or two.

Contacts – Audiobook version
Author: Mark Watson
Narrated by: The author
4* from me…

The story:
We begin with James, boarding the night train at London heading for Edinburgh. He text messages all the contacts in his phone (friends, family and even people he barely knows) to tell them that he intends to end his life in the morning…
This obviously sends a lot of people in to panic, and we follow some them on the journey of finding James before it’s too late... We learn a bit about their time with him and how they became contacts in his phone and a part of his life.
Time is running out and his phone is switched off…

The narration:
I am not normally a fan of the author narrating the story – due to their lack of acting skills and experience. Mark did a good job and read at a good pace. There perhaps could have been a bit more drama in his voice when people were concerned and panicking to reflect their emotions.

The premise was great and I was hoping for an unusual and funny angle on a very serious subject, and I think I expected more. There wasn't enough humour to lighten the tone in my opinion and I struggled to stay engaged with the audiobook through it's entirety.
The characters were strong and it was poignant in places, but I admit I lost interest at times.

So this is yet another instance where I am a little late to the party, as I have never come across Mark Watson before, despite the fact that he is both a comedian and quite a prolific writer. The benefit of this is that I am coming to his work fresh without any preconceptions.

This is quite a clever exploration of the effects of technology on our lives in the guise of accessible fiction.

Our protagonist, James is introduced at a pivotal moment in his life: he intends to commit suicide and writes a final goodbye message and sends it to all of his contacts list. His message disperses throughout the world, reaching, amongst others, his sister Sally in Australia, his flatmate Steph and his friend Carl in London and his ex-girlfriend in Germany. These are some of the other POV we inhabit as well as Emile, a colleague of Steph and James’s mother.

As James, aboard the train to Edinburgh, heads towards what he intends to be his final destination, Watson unfolds the story of how he was driven to this point. We gradually understand that this is the cumulative effect of a series of devastating but unrelated events, which together have decimated his mental health. It’s a much stronger story for not centring his collapse on a single instant but on the gradual erosion of his sense of self. There is also a great perspective on how we can suddenly understand the impact that each of us have on all of those around us. This is not a new concept and Watson himself alludes to the film “It’s a wonderful life” on which this seems to draw quite heavily.

Other themes are the dislocation that we feel when living in other countries, technology used for good as well as bad and language as a barrier. Really, it all echoes E M Forster’s “only connect”.

Things I was less keen on:
- the ending. I am not sure why he felt the need for this and it seems to defy the logic of the book - all lives are valuable, no-one is expendable.
- the narration. I know that a comedian clearly speaks for a living, however audiobooks are are unique and unforgiving form of delivery. Although I really did enjoy the book, I think that it would have been better served with a professional actor narrating it. Accents and different voices would have helped when dealing with a narrative delivered by different characters and would have added pace and pathos which is probably more evident in a written version.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audiobook of this story.

I was very intrigued by the concept of this book.
James is fed up with his life, and on a sleeper train to Edinburgh, sends a text to all the contacts in his phone to tell them he’s going to end his life. He then turns his phone to aeroplane mode.

This book is good humoured, despite the sad subject. James is a really likeable character and unfortunately everything seems to be going wrong in his life. Relationships with his partner, family and friends are breaking down and he’s lost his job. This is what leads him to take that train journey, which he intends to be his last.

Each chapter of the book is told from the point of view of a different character. Across the world, everyone who has received the text is desperately trying to get in touch with James and also reminiscing about their relationship. Everyone has been so caught up in their own lives and have assumed James is fine.

James is such a nice guy, always thinking of others, and very few people notice the drastic change in his mood and how utterly lonely he feels.

It does make you think that you should check in with family and friends and make the effort, as you could make a big difference.

The narration was alright and it was easy to listen to.

Overall I enjoyed the book. The characters were good, especially James, and it’s a very different idea for a story.

3.5 stars rounded to 3.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio UK for a copy of this for review.

I've already read the book, but having the audiobook as well has been a bonus. I do love to hear the author read their own work, finding out what tone and atmosphere they give their own words, and Mark Watson has a really warm voice to listen to.

I enjoyed this story; James is a young man, disillusioned with his life, and he sets out a plan to jump from a bridge in Edinburgh and end his life. To that effect, he boards the sleeper train from London and sends a text message to all his contacts telling them goodbye before he pops flight mode on.

The story follows the timeline of his train journey, with his contacts soon networking to work out where he might be and try to save him - from his flat-mate, his ex-girlfriend, his estranged sister in Australia, a whole cast of diverse characters with different relationships with James.

All in, a good listen, a story which shows how even those who appear stable from the outside are inwardly fragile, and how there exists such good in humanity.

I liked the concept of this story and you discover lots about human behaviour and interaction. It also makes you wonder how your own contact list would react to such a shocking message! There are moments of humour throughout, even though the focus is on suicide and mental health. I did however, struggle with this as an audio version read by the author himself. It was too deadpan and with so many characters it became confusing, I would recommend this, just not as an audio version.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, and think it was executed very well. The main character, James is so likeable and I was so invested in the story.

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the audio narration - I struggled to switch between the different characters which made it quite confusing at times. I would recommend the book over the audio copy to others, and I wish that I had read over listened.

Poignant yet full of humour, this is another typically engaging Mark Watson book. When Jane's feels like there is nothing left to live for and sends a message yo all his contacts he doesnt know the effect this will have on them all.

I really enjoyed the way the book focused on the inner thoughts and feelings of several people close to James. It felt very reminiscent of Matt Hague, not just because of the main storyline but also the way it looked at humanity and the consequences of out actions in a really gentle way. The cast of characters aren't all likeable, but that makes the book all the more real.

It's a great book for people who want something poignant but uplifting with good humour along the way.

One of the most heartwarming books you’ll read this year!
James has had enough - his dad died, his girlfriend left him, his best friend fired him and his sister isn’t speaking to him. So he sends a message to all of his contacts to let them know he will be ending his life, turns his phone to flight mode and gets on a train to his final destination. But his family, friends and even strangers have other ideas...
Watson has created someone very special with James - a man who is so kind, thoughtful and there for everyone else, that no one has the chance to realise he might be lonely or depressed himself. The supporting cast of friends and family were also perfectly nuanced - as a comedian, Watson clearly has character observations nailed! I loved the structure of the book with the time, location and character name each chapter so I never lost track and it always felt fresh. Watson has managed to take a very dark subject matter and bring warmth and humour to it in a way few people could - even at his lowest James is still helpful, kind and retains a sense of humour that keeps you rooting for him right until the end. Absolutely loved listening to this, and will probably do so again as it was such a pleasure! Actual rating 4,5.