CONTEMPORARY   | Daily Mail Online

CONTACTS

by Mark Watson (HarperCollins £14.99, 384 pp)

This is the seventh novel from comedian and quiz show panellist Watson, and I think it’s his best yet.

It also feels timely, given that it deals with loneliness, mental health and how difficult it can be for men to reach out and ask for help.

Recently fired, dumped, bereaved and not on speaking terms with his sister or best friend, James Chiltern is heading to Edinburgh on the sleeper train from London. He’s so lonely and unhappy he can’t see how things could possibly improve. He’s heading to Scotland because it’s full of happy memories, but it’s also where he plans to end his life.

James writes a goodbye message on the train and sends it simultaneously to the 158 names in his contact list. Some belong to his nearest and dearest, and some are more removed, but all are horrified by what they read.

What ensues is a thought-provoking, often heart-rending, occasionally funny and always gripping emotional rollercoaster. I can’t stop thinking about it.

LOVE YOUR LIFE

by Sophie Kinsella (Bantam Press £20, 368 pp)

I’m a big fan of Kinsella, author of the fabulous Shopaholic series, and she’s on her usual sparkling form in this typically compulsive standalone. Ava signs up for a week’s writing retreat in Italy with the intention of finishing the romantic novel she has been working on.

After going on 36 disappointing online first dates in a row before the course, however, her writing plans are shelved when she meets Dutch, a fellow attendee, and is instantly smitten.

The retreat is anonymous, so although the chemistry between them is off the chart, they don’t know each other’s real names, where they live, what they do or even how old they are.

Reality bites at the return airport , where her gaggle of casual friends couldn’t provide more of a contrast with Dutch’s smartly dressed chauffeur. As they learn more about each other and struggle to overcome their differences, chemistry fights with context. Fabulous escapism.

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