It's A Mad World

Mad Lit can be such a downer. Books like "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath can be brutal reads and if you are not depressed when you start them you sure will be by the final page. But this short, but perfectly formed, novel by Craig Lancaster is far from misery inducing. In fact, overall it is a happy book, full of hope. It certainly made me, a long term sufferer of mental health problems, optimistic and that is not an emotion I experience often. Edward is on the autism spectrum and is further lumbered with O.C.D. When we join him he is already a couple of years into counselling with a "very logical" female, psychologist and his condition is stable. Edward copes reasonably well with life. It is everyone else who cause the problems he keeps bumping into. From experience I can say that this is life for most of with mental health issues. For periods, sometimes long periods, of our life we cope but we are not allowed to fully realise our potential because of the prejudice of other people. "600 Hours of Edward" is the story of a turning point in one, neurologically different man's life and the good news is that he doesn't end up killing himself.

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Heartwarming and humane

When we meet Edward, at 39 years of age (well, 39 years and (about) 280 days) at the beginning of the novel, we see that his routines have paved the way to a life that is filled with routine, devoid of challenges, but ultimately isolating. He has no friends, and has a particularly strained relationship with his father, a wealthy local politician who pays all of Edward’s living expenses but keeps him at a distance, physically and emotionally, unable to come to terms with his illnesses. However, during the 600 hours - 25 days (count them – I did) I spent with him, Edward is shaken out of his routines by events, both happy and poignant, that force him to re-examine his carefully-controlled life. He tries online dating; he begins interacting with his new neighbors, a single mother, Donna, and her 9-year-old son, Kyle. Ever so slowly, Edward starts to connect with other people. Not every interaction goes smoothly – online dating is different from ‘more traditional’ dating - but over the course of the 600 hours, we start to see a transformation (I love the word ‘transformation’) in Edward. His relationship with the Donna and Kyle shows signs of developing into a meaningful friendship. The nightly letters of complaint (none of which, on the advice of his therapist, are ever sent,) start to become more reflections than complaints. And all the while, Edward slowly, on his own terms, makes his way into a society that he has avoided for so long.
Craig Lancaster builds Edward’s character through spare, straightforward prose that keeps the story well-paced and readable, and adds just the right amount of emotion, so that by the end, we are rooting for Edward and the remarkable 600-hour journey he has made, and that we seem to have made with him.
The narration in this wonderful tale is magnificently done, with the voice of Edward in all his moods and reflections, of the different people with whom he interacts capturing a world that is both engaging and fulfilling.

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2 people found this helpful

Brilliant

A friend suggested this book to me. I'm glad they did. Moving. Insightful and inventive. Highly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

Exceptional!

I have listened to this and the second book in the series - very rarely do I laugh out loud when listening to a book - I literally laughed until tears appeared!
A wonderful story - well written but I am sure the narration added something more to the books - I am in love with Luke Daniels!

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1 person found this helpful

Funny, sad and brilliant

Edward has a struck regime which keeps him sane but ultimately he is alone and unhappy
600 hours later he has hope and a future unlike anything he expected
Ioved this book so full of humour and it touch my heart strings
The narrator was perfect

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AN AMAZING HEART WARMING BUT ALSO SAD STORY

If you could sum up 600 Hours of Edward in three words, what would they be?

EDWARD SUFFERS MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AND HAS AUTISTIC HABITS - NOT AN EXPERT BUT I UNDERSTOOD HOW HE STRUGGLED AS I HAVE DEPRESSION. THE REALATIONSHIPS HE HAS ARE WELL STRAINED AND HE FINDS A FRIEND IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE ALSO HE STARTS TO LOOK AT HIS BEHAVIOUR MADE ME CRY AT ONE PSRT

Who was your favorite character and why?

EDWARD WELL AND DONNA MIDDLETON AS SHE SLOWLY ACCEPTED HIM EXACTLY AS HE WAS SHE OBVIOSLY GREW TO REALISE HIS PROBLEM BUT NONE THE LESS A FRIENDSHIP WAS BORN AND WITH HER SON.
EDWARDS FATHER WAS SO HARSH BUT UNDERNEATH HE LOVED EDWARD

What does Luke Daniels bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I LEARNED HOW IT MUST BE LIKE TO LIVE WITH THIS CONDITION THE WAYS HE HAD HABITS HE COULD NOT BREAK LIKE WATCHING 'DRAGNET' AT 10 EVERY NIGHT ANY UPSET MADE HIM VERY ADGITATED BUT HE ENDED UP LOOKING AT HIS PART IN HIS RELATIONSHIP WORRYS

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

OH YES SADLY FELL ASLEEP ONE NIGHT I HOWELD MY EYES OUT IT WAS A VERY MOVING MOMENT... BUT WILL NOT GIVE IT AWAY

Any additional comments?

THIS BOOK WAS ONE I JUST CHOSE FAST AS LATE HUSBAND NEEDED SLEEP AND SO SO GLAD I DID EDWARD WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY MEMORY
VERY WELL WRITTEN

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Oh boy, I wanted to go on listening...

I was so absorbed in the story I was unaware of time passing. Its a brilliant story of a 39 year old Asperger sufferer with OCD.
The relationship with his parents is strained. His father communicates through his solicitor's postal reprimands.
Over 600 hours so much changes. I won't spoil it.
But read it, it's a memorable story, and you'll wonder what next for Edward.
The narration was first class, all those characters sounding like a cast of many.
I'm definitely going to look for this narrator, and this author again.

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BRILLIANT

This book will change your life. Absolutely brilliant, fantastic, superb, awesome, amazing, inspirational, heart warming

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