Book burble: 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. But it's funny the way life is sometimes. Just when you think you know how everything is, it surprises you.

And redemption can come in the most unlikely forms....

Warm, witty and wise, Mike Gayle's new novel is a powerful story of male friendship and what we mean by success, reminding us of the simple courage at the heart of every human life

THE MAN I THINK KNOW by MIKE GAYLE (2018) | ISBN: 9781473608993 | Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
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A friendly reader brought this along to share at the evening Book Swap MeetUp, Thu 04 Oct, at Jeremiah’s Taproom, Elm Row, Edinburgh. Now it’s registered it with BookCrossing. I am terribly tempted to read this given the positive recommendation I was given with the book. Though to be honest I’m in the midst of clearing book piles out and really ought to pass this right on… will I crack or not?

So glad I cracked and read this. Rather than merely passing it on at Christmas I indulged, read it January and this was a treat! It was light yet stimulating, perceptive of the human condition, and uplifting. Described elsewhere as “A feel-good, uplifting story of the most unlikely friendship” and it’s easy to agree with that.

I too thought this “A very special book” … and “loved the distinctive voices of James and Danny and really missed them when I finished it!" I’m thrilled to have this specific to pass on through BookCrossing and can see myself buying every charity shop copy of this I find so I can release it again and again…
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Already arrived at its destination with birthday celebrant, honorary BookCrosser Mr Flutterbies9, posted THU 18 JUL 2019. At last my release notes for this with apologies for the delay which has held up your caught journal entries.

Apologies, as I see that I did not journal this as caught at all.

Mr Flutterbies9 started this and got just over half way through before he said to me "Sorry, but I am finding that I am not sufficiently engaged with this story to finish this when I have much more I really do want to read in my tbr" and handed the book to me.

I had always meant to read this after your review rainbow3, and hearing that he was not sufficiently engaged I immediately started it to see if I could work out why he was not so keen.

So glad, I did. My experience was that I raced through this in a very short time and liked it a lot (great thing that we are all different!). |The observations on the unlikely interaction between James and Danny which did help to smooth life's path for both characters in the end - yes, the 'feel good' factor! - was delicious, but not always in the most obvious way. A male author who seems to be in touch with his feminine side, however not so great at bringing out the feminine characters in the book so well with notable exceptions being Simone and Martha. Definitely a warm feeling throughout and although I did not think that James was able to live completely on his own by the end of the book (especially with Vicky) it made a good ending.

I do not have a definite plan for this book but do have someone in mind for it if it does not go into a bookbox!