Funny, heart wrenching and human… That is the way I would describe Calling Major Tom. It has been so long since I have got hooked to a book so badly that I had to stay up whole night reading it. In fact, the moment I put down the book, I called up my best friend and told her that she had to get a copy! It is one of those books that I would buy just to keep in my home library and read again.
I’ve been on the lookout for something to read for a while. That’s when I stumbled across Calling Major Tom on NetGalley. I know that everyone says that one should never judge a book by its cover but we have to be honest here. The cover of a book is you first impression. It is what tempts you to pick it up and look at the jacket. It is something that is true if someone has not raved about the book. When it came to ‘Calling Major Tom’ the human part of my mind took over. I glanced at the cover and fell in love with the simple and elegant design. It wasn’t until later that I discovered the deeper meaning that the picture held and when I did I was impressed. I hate to give out spoilers, so I am just going to tell you that the four people on the cover are the four main characters in the book. The tag line ‘He’s given up on the world, but has the world given up on him’, is what the whole book is about.
Meet The Author
Normally, I give you a short introduction to the author. I usually reach out to the publishing house for this. This time however, I don’t have much to offer other than the fact that David Barnett has skill. His skill just doesn’t lie in telling a story but in capturing the aspects of human behaviour that are part of our usual day and yet so overlooked. One may say that he knows how to make his characters human and relatable. It is a talent that I admire and one that has me looking up his other published works online.
To talk a little more in detail about David Barnett. He is an author and a journalist and is based out of West Yorkshire. After working for regional newspapers in his region, he became a freelance writer for the UK national press. He has a couple of self-published books under his name and is also a lecturer at the Leeds Trinity University where he teaches journalism part time.
Calling Major Tom
Calling Major Tom captures the rough side of human nature in Thomas Major better known as Major Tom and how people get disgruntled because of the bad cards that they have been dealt with in life. David Barnett manages to beautifully balance out Major Tom’s anger with his humanity and passion. The book slowly walks you through his transformation and the inevitable link that he shares with a family that is going through crises.
David Barnett, walks us through two parallel worlds of two different families. One where a child takes on the role of an adult and one where an adult tries to run away from life. Their contrasting ways of dealing with hardships and the unbelievable way in which their lives connect makes Calling Major Tom so unique. Major Tom seems to have given up on life. His way of escaping it is to literally run away from Earth. Yet, when it seems like all is lost and he may have given up, the story starts to unfold. The crux… Will he hold on to humanity or will he let go?
Have you read Calling Major Tom? Let us know how you liked the book in the comments below.
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**Globetrove received an advance copy of the book from NetGalley to review. All opinions are our own.