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By and large I found it a touching and hopeful read, although obviously the subject matter is very sad. I was emotionally invested in the outcome, and found the prose very readable, despite some minor head hopping. I do also think that this book could have perhaps been a little shorter, as it was starting to feel somewhat repetitive as we crept towards the end. His room mate who is a very resourceful girl soon sets up an online search party. Through this episode, each of them also end up reflecting on their own life and relationships. You end up feeling sorry for James what with each of these people contributing to breaking him. Death by a thousand cuts it seems for the hero. It is not a happy book though it still manages to keep the tone not too serious. I have a love-hate relationship with Mark Watson. I want to love him, and I do love his writing and ideas, but yet somehow I always end up hating his books.Sagan, Carl (May 28, 1978). "Growing up with Science Fiction". The New York Times. p.SM7. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved December 12, 2018. As a child, Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway displays a strong aptitude for science and mathematics. Dissatisfied with a school lesson, she goes to the library to convince herself that pi is transcendental. In sixth grade, her father Theodore ("Ted") dies. John Staughton, her new stepfather, does not show as much support for her interests. Ellie refuses to accept him as a family member and believes her mother only remarried out of weakness. Watson says that he was trying to show how technology can bring people together, but for me the message I got was more along the lines of "is there anyone in my life who I can forgive?" I know what I'm doing, and I'm fine. I just wanted the chance to say goodbye and to thank you for the things we have shared. I had hoped for a lot more from this book. One of Mark Watson's previous novels, Eleven, is counted amongst my favourites and I enjoy both his humour and his writing. But this just didn't hit the mark for me. There were lots of characters and unfortunately the one I connected with the least was James. I don't mean that I wasn't concerned about his fate, it's just that I was more concerned about those trying to help him. I enjoyed the style of story telling, but felt that it was unfinished at the point of resolution for James. What happened to Steffi? What about mum? Did Sal decide to come home?

I would like to thank Harper Collins and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.Mark Watson is, in my opinion, one of the sharpest, funniest and most articulate artists out there. As a kid my family spent summers at the Edinburgh Fringe and I remember discovering Watson for the first time sometime in my teens. He was hilarious then and he’s only got better since. His 24 hour comedy events are the stuff of legend and I’ve got a deluge of memories of sitting at the Pleasance Dome or in strange Edinburgh lecture halls, drunk with excitement and fatigue, as an ever perky Mark Watson leapt around the room. Four years ago I saw his newest show Flaws at the fringe. It was one of the first things I booked, even before I was on the train to Scotland. It was darker and sadder than his previous shows, incredibly personal and yet, still, funny. So funny.

What emotions do you think you would feel? Fear? Disbelief? Anger? Incredulity? Horror? You may even wonder if it's a drunken joke. A messy text sent by someone who's had one too many, and will surely feel better in the morning.

This story looks at the implications of our relationships. Family, friends, acquaintances. The reasons we lose touch with each other. Sometimes intentionally, but usually not. Life just happens, it unfolds, and we tend to assume that those we know are ok, unless they are going through a major crisis. But what constitutes one of those? Eighty-two texts and fourteen missed calls. A deluge. In January he'd received just two texts in an entire week, and one of them was to offer him two-for one pizzas if he replied with the word PEPPERONI. Eighty-two messages sent by people who had been disrupted, moved in some way, by the one he'd sent." I did have a couple of issues with it: the use of stereotypes, and (without spoilers) the execution of the ending, but overall I found it thought provoking and clever. You filled every second with some sort of meaning. You used every minute, every hour well. Because that felt like winning…..So for almost all of every day - all those hoarded minutes, all that time you managed - everything seemed fine. Life seemed like the truth; what came next, you could forget” Trigger warnings⚠️ Suicide and suicidal thoughts. Depression and depressive thoughts. Confronting scenes.