One Minute Away by Mark Watson

 

Around the World in 80,000 Pages - Book 12

One Minute Away by Mark Watson

You can read about my Around the World in 80,000 Pages challenge here.

Miles travelled: 520
Pages read: 4,992

Disclaimer: I'm rather behind on my reviews, so they will be super brief until I get caught up again.

I really wanted to like this book. I'm a big fan of Mark Watson's comedy, and he seems like a generally nice chap. However...

One Minute Away follows an immigrant delivery rider in London, who ends up having an affair with one of his wealthy customers.

Despite Watson's comedy chops, the book is not funny. Which wouldn't be an issue if it was anything else, either. The prose is fine, easy to read, and zips along at a pace, but it doesn't have the depth to take the novel into literary territory. The book isn't a romance. It doesn't have the realism to be a slice-of-life. It is neither profound nor silly, moving nor allegorical. Surreal nor observational.

In many ways, the book is the equivalent of the fast food the central character delivers. It's fine. It does a job. Reading One Minute Away is better than not reading anything. In all fairness, I would probably have enjoyed the book more if I hadn't come to it with such high hopes.

I scored it 83½/140, comfortably in ★★★☆☆ territory. The flag remains that of Greater London and the suggested music is Poison Cake by Marko Bošnjak, a Bosnian singer/song-writer living in London.