
The Man I Think I Know
A feel-good, uplifting story of the most unlikely friendship
Mike Gayle(Author)
Hodder Paperback (Publisher)
Published on 14. June 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-4736-0899-3 (ISBN)
Description
As seen on ITV in the Zoe Ball Book Club
'Beautifully written, thought-provoking and completely charming.' Ruth Hogan
'Mike Gayle is the king of touching, human stories, and this big-hearted book is his best yet' Heat, 5*
This is the stunning novel from bestselling author Mike Gayle, for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. A powerful and bittersweet story of an unexpected male friendship and an unlikely love story, a thought provoking storyline told with Mike's distinctive wit and insight, touching on issues which affect us all. This uplifting tale reminds us of the simple courage at the heart of every human being.
Ever since The Incident, James DeWitt has stayed on the safe side.
He likes to know what happens next.
Danny Allen is not on the safe side. He is more past the point of no return.
The past is about to catch up with both of them in a way that which will change their lives forever, unexpectedly.
But redemption can come in the most unlikely ways.
Look out for Mike's new novel, All the Lonely People, available to pre-order now!
*******************
Praise for The Man I Think I Know
'Beautifully written, thought-provoking and completely charming . . . reminds us that the everyday things we take for granted without realising how precious they are, can be snatched away in an instant with catastrophic consequences' Ruth Hogan
'That rarest of things; a moving, beautifully written novel about male friendship . . . I absolutely loved it' Lisa Jewell
'Mike is always wise and wonderful, but this is a whole new departure for him - read it!' Jenny Colgan
You'll be both laughing and on the edge of tears with this brilliant read' Fabulous magazine
*******************
Readers are raving about this book!
'This is one of those books that is tugging on your heartstrings one moment and has you laughing out loud the next - another stunning plot line and narrative from Mike Gayle.'
'I loved the narrative and I left this novel feeling totally uplifted . . . I now feel like there is some hope in the world!'
'This book is sad, funny, quirky, touching, heartbreaking but - and this is going to sound totally cliched and corny - life affirming.'
'Beautifully written, thought-provoking and completely charming.' Ruth Hogan
'Mike Gayle is the king of touching, human stories, and this big-hearted book is his best yet' Heat, 5*
This is the stunning novel from bestselling author Mike Gayle, for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. A powerful and bittersweet story of an unexpected male friendship and an unlikely love story, a thought provoking storyline told with Mike's distinctive wit and insight, touching on issues which affect us all. This uplifting tale reminds us of the simple courage at the heart of every human being.
Ever since The Incident, James DeWitt has stayed on the safe side.
He likes to know what happens next.
Danny Allen is not on the safe side. He is more past the point of no return.
The past is about to catch up with both of them in a way that which will change their lives forever, unexpectedly.
But redemption can come in the most unlikely ways.
Look out for Mike's new novel, All the Lonely People, available to pre-order now!
*******************
Praise for The Man I Think I Know
'Beautifully written, thought-provoking and completely charming . . . reminds us that the everyday things we take for granted without realising how precious they are, can be snatched away in an instant with catastrophic consequences' Ruth Hogan
'That rarest of things; a moving, beautifully written novel about male friendship . . . I absolutely loved it' Lisa Jewell
'Mike is always wise and wonderful, but this is a whole new departure for him - read it!' Jenny Colgan
You'll be both laughing and on the edge of tears with this brilliant read' Fabulous magazine
*******************
Readers are raving about this book!
'This is one of those books that is tugging on your heartstrings one moment and has you laughing out loud the next - another stunning plot line and narrative from Mike Gayle.'
'I loved the narrative and I left this novel feeling totally uplifted . . . I now feel like there is some hope in the world!'
'This book is sad, funny, quirky, touching, heartbreaking but - and this is going to sound totally cliched and corny - life affirming.'
Reviews / Votes
The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle is amazing! Really uplifting and a jolly good read to boot -- Katie Fforde That rarest of things; a moving, beautifully written novel about male friendship. The Man I Think I Know is a truthful, wise and wonderfully redemptive story about men stripped bare of the traditional ideals of masculinity - success, strength, power - learning to face up to the real world. I absolutely loved it. -- Lisa Jewell The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle is amazing! Really uplifting and a jolly good read to boot -- Katie Fforde Beautifully written, thought-provoking and completely charming. Mike does a wonderful job of tackling a tricky subject (ABI) with sensitivity, wit and humour. His story reminds us that the everyday things we take for granted without realising how precious they are, can be snatched away in an instant with catastrophic consequences. But I think the thing that struck me most about this book were the voices of Danny Allen and James DeWitt. They were pitch-perfect and helped to create a pair of characters I was rooting for from the start and cheering for by the end. -- Ruth Hogan Loved this novel - insightful, moving and funny. Read it -- Freya North Beautifully written, thought-provoking and completely charming. Mike does a wonderful job of tackling a tricky subject (ABI) with sensitivity, wit and humour. His story reminds us that the everyday things we take for granted without realising how precious they are, can be snatched away in an instant with catastrophic consequences. But I think the thing that struck me most about this book were the voices of Danny Allen and James DeWitt. They were pitch-perfect and helped to create a pair of characters I was rooting for from the start and cheering for by the end. -- Ruth Hogan Mike is always wise and wonderful, but this is a whole new departure for him - read it! -- Jenny Colgan Loved this novel - insightful, moving and funny. Read it -- Freya North Mike is always wise and wonderful, but this is a whole new departure for him - read it! -- Jenny Colgan A very special book. A moving, thought-provoking storyline told with humour and insight. I loved the distinctive voices of James and Danny and really missed them when I finished it! -- Tracy Rees The Man I Think I Know is gloriously good. Touching, uplifting, brave and funny, it's a story of life, second chances and daring to believe in better things. James and Danny's friendship is beautifully portrayed: I was rooting for them from the start and cheering them to the finish. I defy anyone not to fall in love with this book. Downright wonderful! -- Miranda Dickinson A very special book. A moving, thought-provoking storyline told with humour and insight. I loved the distinctive voices of James and Danny and really missed them when I finished it! -- Tracy Rees The Man I Think I Know is gloriously good. Touching, uplifting, brave and funny, it's a story of life, second chances and daring to believe in better things. James and Danny's friendship is beautifully portrayed: I was rooting for them from the start and cheering them to the finish. I defy anyone not to fall in love with this book. Downright wonderful! -- Miranda Dickinson Mike Gayle is the king of touching, human stories, and this big-hearted book is his best yet. 5* * Heat * Powerful * Hello magazine * Mike Gayle is the king of touching, human stories, and this big-hearted book is his best yet. 5* * Heat * Powerful * Hello magazine * You'll be both laughing and on the edge of tears with this brilliant read * Fabulous magazine * That rarest of things; a moving, beautifully written novel about male friendship. The Man I Think I Know is a truthful, wise and wonderfully redemptive story about men stripped bare of the traditional ideals of masculinity - success, strength, power - learning to face up to the real world. I absolutely loved it. * Lisa Jewell * You'll be both laughing and on the edge of tears with this brilliant read * Fabulous magazine *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Hodder & Stoughton
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
230 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4736-0899-3 (9781473608993)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2018
1st Edition
Hodder & Stoughton
€4.49
Available for download
Person
MIKE GAYLE was born and raised in Birmingham. After graduating from Salford University with a degree in Sociology, he moved to London to pursue a career in journalism and worked as a features editor and agony uncle. He has written for a variety of publications including The Sunday Times, the Guardian and Cosmopolitan.
Mike became a full-time novelist in 1997 following the publication of his Sunday Times top ten bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, which was hailed by the Independent as 'full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations', and by The Times as 'a funny, frank account of a hopeless romantic'. Since then he has written eighteen novels, including The Man I Think I Know, selected as a World Book Night title, and Half A World Away, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages. In 2021, Mike was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.
He lives in Birmingham with his wife, kids and greyhound.
You can find him online at mikegayle.co.uk and on Twitter @mikegayle.
Mike became a full-time novelist in 1997 following the publication of his Sunday Times top ten bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, which was hailed by the Independent as 'full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations', and by The Times as 'a funny, frank account of a hopeless romantic'. Since then he has written eighteen novels, including The Man I Think I Know, selected as a World Book Night title, and Half A World Away, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages. In 2021, Mike was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.
He lives in Birmingham with his wife, kids and greyhound.
You can find him online at mikegayle.co.uk and on Twitter @mikegayle.