Half A World Away by Mike Gayle

‘Half A World Away’ had been on the shelf far too long, and as I am making an effort to shop my shelves, I thought it was about time it was read. Especially as Mike Gayle has quite a backlist for me to catch up on.

Let us start with a key piece of information: just like all the other books I have read from the pen of Mike Gayle, this book made me cry. I mean, I had been warned by various bookstagrammers that this was a book that really tugged at those heart strings, but I do not think even I was prepared for quite how much this one was going to full-on yank on those heart strings. (Part 4 – oh, my word.)

Noah and Kerry are siblings, but they have been separated for many years after they were taken into care and their lives took very different roads. Noah was adopted by a loving family – Kerry was left in the system but she never forgot her younger brother and makes the decison to get in touch with him. Together, they embark on a journey of self-discovery as they are reunited and navigate their chance to rediscover family.

You fall in love with these characters, and their families (well, most of the members of their families) and you really enjoy being on their journey with them. You live their happiness and heartbreak – expect tears, sometimes of sadness and sometimes of joy. But your heart will be full when you finish this book, and you may have a little bit of a book hangover.

Do you have a favourite Mike Gayle book? If so, which do I need to read next?

The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle

Shopping my shelves is going well, as I have discovered another hidden gem that has been sitting there waiting for me to read it. I picked this up as my ‘To Be Read Pile Tarot Cards’ from Don’t Judge Books suggested I pick up a book by a male author and that led me to ‘The Man I Think I Know’.

I have enjoyed Mike Gayle’s book before, and the joy of having discovered him a little later in his career is that there is a whole back catalogue of books to start enjoying, too.

This book was truly wonderful. I know that it is not unusual to have male characters in books or male authors. However, it does seem unusual to have male characters written with such sensitivity and tackling some more complex emotions and relationships.

James has been struggling to rebuild his life since ‘The Incident’ changed his life forever, and destroyed his hopes and dreams. Danny has made some poor choices in life as a result of a tragic event in his family that he has been carrying the guilt for. Both men used to be on such different paths, but a twist of fate brings them back together in a way neither of them expected and together they help each other face their pasts and rebuild their lives. And a wonderful friendship blossoms along the way.

I really enjoyed the fact that this book gives male characters a more sensitive treatment. It allows them to be vulnerable and support each other through difficult times – and yet present them both as strong without losing the integrity of their character. For me, Mike Gayle has created characters, again, that I would quite happily sit down with and get to know more about.

This book made me laugh and made me cry (sometimes even happy tears) but has also stayed with me since I read that final word. I will be recommending this book to so many people as it was just wonderful and incredibly thought-provoking.

I have one more Mike Gayle on my shelves that is standing unread, so I will be sure to pick it up very soon, as he has so many wonderful stories to tell, about so many wonderful characters.

The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle

For two years, I have been lucky enough to be part of ‘The Tasting Notes Book Club’, hosted by the wonderful The Book Taster. A wonderful ‘virtual’ book club that is made up of so many amazing bookworms who all share a love of books, the chance to talk about books and hear from the authors who write the books. It has led me to make some wonderful bookish friends and opened my eyes to so many books that I may not have read usually, while also introducing me to some fantastic small businesses, too.

And that first time two years ago, we read ‘All the Lonely People‘ (did you just sing that title? If you did not, I know you are fibbing) by Mike Gayle and, to bring us to the 2nd birthday celebrations, we have read ‘The Museum of Ordinary People’ – and it was another very special book.

This was a story that I felt really resonated with me; as someone who loves history, loves museums and loves stories – especially those stories that are important to people – this book was perfect. Jess’ mum has just died, and she has the job of clearing the house of all those things that had been important to her mum, and that hold so many memories for her.

When she realises that she really cannot throw out that old collection of encyclopaedias that her mum had bought her, she finds out that there is a ‘museum’ that will take them and look after them for her. Little does she know that this decision will lead to her changing her life, taking on something that she has always dreamed of doing, and discovering that maybe things have not always been as they seemed – not only for herself, but for those that she encounters along the way.

Mike Gayle really brings these characters to life on the page, and you feel like you are really getting to know them, their story and what makes them tick. And he can really evoke emotions in his readers – there may have been some tears as I read this novel.

The epilogue to this book was also excellent, I do not want to spoil what it is, but I thought it was such a beautiful touch to bring the book to a close.

So, now that I have hopefully convinced you that you should read this book, I am off to think about what possessions I have that would deserve a place in ‘The Museum of Ordinary People’…

All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle

Oh Wow!

Why have I left it so long to pick up a book by Mike Gayle?

I decided that I would have a go at taking part in the ‘The Book Taster – Book Club‘ this month, and the chosen book was ‘All the Lonely People’ by Mike Gayle.

This is a book with a great collection of characters but, most importantly, a really key message about our society – past and present. I am not sure I have ever read a book that has hit me in the heart from the moment I started.

Hubert Bird is a wonderful character; he reminded me of my own grandparents, but sadly he is lonely, even if he does not realise it. Yet, as we follow Hubert’s journey, past and present, he begins with those he encounters along the way to tackle loneliness – and not just his own. However, this is not the only topic tackled in this book. It really addresses major social issues that we may wish were in the past, such as racism and the Windrush Scandal, but that we know we should address and tackle every day. Also, just as you think Mike Gayle can not throw another emotinal curve-ball at you, he does – happy or sad.

This is probably one of my books of the year. Although, at points, I was reading it through tears because of some personal experiences, it was still a great read.

Mike Gayle writes beautifully and all his characters are so engaging. I feel that I have some catching up to do on his previous books. This was an excellent choice for the first month of ‘The Book Taster – Book Club’.