Contacts
Published on 29. October 2020
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-0-00-834696-6 (ISBN)
Description
One man's last journey. One hundred and fifty-eight chances to save his life.
The unforgettable new book from award-winning writer and comedian Mark Watson!
'Mark Watson is one of my favourite writers and Contacts is by far his best book yet' Adam Kay
'Witty, emotional and beautifully written' Jill Mansell
'It made me laugh, cry, reflect and want to check in on all my friends' Emma Gannon
'This is such a great book, funny and serious and daring and humane' Richard Curtis
James Chiltern boards the 23:50 sleeper train from London to Edinburgh with two pork pies, six beers and a packet of chocolate digestives. At 23:55 he sends a message to all 158 people in his contacts, telling them that he plans to end his life in the morning. He then switches his phone to flight mode. He's said goodbye. To him, it's the end of his story - and time to crack open the biscuits.
But across the world, 158 phones are lighting up with a notification. Phones belonging to his mum. His sister. His ex-best friend. The woman who broke his heart. People he's lost touch with. People he barely knows. And for them, the message is only the beginning of the journey.
Funny and wise, tender and deeply moving, Contacts is a beautiful story about the weight of loneliness, the importance of kindness - and how it's never too late to reach out.
The unforgettable new book from award-winning writer and comedian Mark Watson!
'Mark Watson is one of my favourite writers and Contacts is by far his best book yet' Adam Kay
'Witty, emotional and beautifully written' Jill Mansell
'It made me laugh, cry, reflect and want to check in on all my friends' Emma Gannon
'This is such a great book, funny and serious and daring and humane' Richard Curtis
James Chiltern boards the 23:50 sleeper train from London to Edinburgh with two pork pies, six beers and a packet of chocolate digestives. At 23:55 he sends a message to all 158 people in his contacts, telling them that he plans to end his life in the morning. He then switches his phone to flight mode. He's said goodbye. To him, it's the end of his story - and time to crack open the biscuits.
But across the world, 158 phones are lighting up with a notification. Phones belonging to his mum. His sister. His ex-best friend. The woman who broke his heart. People he's lost touch with. People he barely knows. And for them, the message is only the beginning of the journey.
Funny and wise, tender and deeply moving, Contacts is a beautiful story about the weight of loneliness, the importance of kindness - and how it's never too late to reach out.
Reviews / Votes
'Mark Watson is one of my favourite writers and Contacts is by far his best book yet' Adam Kay,bestselling author of This is Going to Hurt'Witty, emotional and beautifully written' Jill Mansell, bestselling author of Maybe This Time
'This is such a great book, funny and serious and daring and humane. I prefer Mark Watson to Leo Tolstoy - both as a novelist and a stand-up comedian' Richard Curtis, award-winning director of Love Actually
'Contacts portrays the nuanced layers of male mental health through brilliant, engaging storytelling. It made me laugh, cry, reflect and want to check in on all my friends'Emma Gannon, bestselling author of Olive
'This is a wonderful book' Richard Roper, author of Something to Live For
'It's funny and moving and kept me awake half the night because I so badly wanted to find out what happens' Tim Minchin
'A brave and beautiful book about the importance of every human connection ... A compassionate, thought-provoking read' Sarah Haywood, bestselling author of The Cactus
'All his trademark humour and clever insights swimming around such beautiful, touching characters and relationships' Hannah Begbie, bestselling author of Blurred Lines
'I devoured this book. It's funny, sad, insightful, heartbreaking, hopeful and so cleverly put together. A real treat.' Chris Addison
'Gripping, moving and uplifting... and how easy it is for a life to fall off the rails and how it's the connections we make that put us back on track' Clare Pooley, bestselling author of The Authenticity Project
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
600 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-834696-6 (9780008346966)
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
Person
Mark Watson is the acclaimed author of eight books, most recently The Place that Didn't Exist, Hotel Alpha, and The Knot, which have been published in twelve languages. He is also a stand-up comedian and has won numerous awards in Britain and Australia. He regularly appears on TV, has had his own cult Radio 4 series and been named the Edinburgh Festival's highest achiever of the decade by The Times. He lives in North London.