The Baggage Carousel

by David Olner

Dan Roberts has a troubled past, anger management issues and a backpack named after an abducted heiress. A chance encounter with Amber, a free-spirited Australian girl, seems to give his solitary, nomadic life a new sense of direction. But when she doesn’t respond to his emails, the only direction he’s heading is down…

The Baggage Carousel is a visceral yet humane travelogue of a novel about life's great let-downs; family, work and love. Dan Roberts is destined to go down as one of fiction's great solitary men, equal parts Iain Banks' Frank, Camus' Meursault and Seuss' The Grinch.

'A debut novel that feels written by an author already on top of his game. The Baggage Carousel is by turns funny, disturbing and sad. Rootless, pissed-off and disappointed young men everywhere have a new icon in Dan Roberts."
Nathan O'Hagan, author of 'The World Is (Not) A Cold Dead Place'

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2018

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olner's debut novel is a stunner, one that I began to miss as soon as I finished. Protagonist Dan Roberts is a classic anti-hero; funny, at times moody and violent, but, ultimately likable, especially when he is in his element traveling to exotic locales. While on a holiday to South Africa, he falls in love with a free-spirited Australian girl named Amber, who promises to stay in touch. When she doesn't return his emails, Dan sinks into depression as he tries to evaluate what went wrong. The Baggage Carousel is a brilliant read; funny, sad, and captivating, especially the scenes where Dan recalls past travels and the characters he's met on the road.

[Katie O'Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes when you re-read a favorite novel from years ago, it doesn't hold up. That was not the case with David Olner's The Baggage Carousel, a novel I first read on a writing site before it was published. I believe the gist of my critique was: "Get this published!" I'm glad he decided to take my stellar advice. ;)

In this novel, the super-flawed main character falls in love on a back-packing trip to Africa. When the object of his affection makes promises and then proceeds to ignore his emails, Dan's heartbreak turns obsessive. In alternating narrative, the reader also gets to know Amber, who is on the edge of vapid, but still manages to be sympathetic. The two narrate different timelines so that the story unfolds as a puzzle and the missing piece isn't delivered until the very end.

Throughout, the quality of the writing stands out. Dan is darkly witty, his tangents from the main plot not only illuminate his character, but are fun to read. The way it's organized is especially clever and the ending comes together like a lightning bolt. Of course, you think as if you saw the twist coming, though you didn't. The ending is terribly satisfying, with just enough pain and the requisite growth from each character.

I highly recommend this book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blistering debut novel, utterly addictive, could not put it down the same way I could not stop re-reading. Fresh, funny, dark and tragic, highly recommended.

[Liam Delahunty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

This book had been crafted. Dark and poetic at times. I have no hesitation I highly recommending this original and thoughtful work.