One Minute Away
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4.0 • 11 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
*The deliciously entertaining new novel from the award-winning writer and comedian, MARK WATSON*
'Funny and thought-provoking' ADAM HILLS
'A heartwarming story of happenstance' iPAPER
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That's three sashimi rolls. Two vegetable dumplings. One life-changing encounter. Your delivery is on its way …
For delivery rider Damir, time is money.
He races through cycle lanes next to Uber drivers and grocery vans, delivering your every desire. He arrives with your sushi rolls and pizzas and disappears into the night – Ping! Onto the next drop.
He is invisible: one player in the boardgame of the city.
But one summer’s evening, in a postcode that could be another universe, Damir arrives on Decca’s doorstep and there’s an immediate connection between them.
The man on the bike crosses the divide – suddenly fully seen. And a throwaway delivery sparks a chain of events that will change all their lives, forever.
Praise for Mark Watson:
'One of my favourite writers’ Adam Kay
‘Funny, heart wrenching, beautifully written’ Jane Fallon
'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
Reviews
‘A heartwarming story of happenstance in which Damir, a takeaway delivery driver, makes an unexpected connection with Decca on her doorstep. A funny and entertaining tale about the small moments which change a life’ Ipaper
More praise for Mark Watson:
‘Funny, heart wrenching, beautifully written’ Jane Fallon
'Mark Watson is one of my favourite writers’ Adam Kay
‘Witty, emotional and beautifully written’ Jill Mansell
'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
‘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
‘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
‘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
About the author
Mark Watson is the acclaimed author of eight books, 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.
Customer Reviews
A tale of the consequences of two worlds colliding
Mark Watson has a talent for creating intriguing characters with seemingly insignificant lives. The protagonist in One Minute Away - Damir - is no different. A delivery driver in London during the pandemic, Damir lives with childhood friend Goran having followed him to the UK from Croatia after learning how successful his friend was becoming. He lives solely to cycle from job to job, scraping together enough money between himself and Goran to survive in their run-down so-called home. Time is money, after all.
Damir meets married Decca whilst on a job and his life changes immediately. As Damir’s world expands far further than he knew possible and he begins to find more value in himself thanks to his new relationship with the wealthy, successful Decca, we start to see cracks form in his lifelong friendship with Goran. Although we may feel that we are supposed to root for Damir and Decca to go the distance, as the story progresses it is his relationship with Goran that we are more invested in. What starts as a tale of romance shifts subtly into a tale of loyalty.
I particularly enjoyed the Croatian scattered throughout the book, as well as the references to life ‘back home’ in Split and how it contradicts life ‘now’ in London. I would imagine some feeling a little let down with how Damir and Decca are left, but I personally found it to be the most appropriate ending for them and a good reminder that life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to.
I liked the sushi in the cover :) 🍱
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