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Only Connect
The future of relationships in a complicated world
As the good ship McCarthy wends its way from the UK to China across troubled waters, Susan and Howard – two employees in a shipping and logistics company – establish an extraordinary friendship in cyberspace. Entrusted with ensuring the timely delivery of a valuable cargo, they discuss everything under the sun (and then some) as their relationship develops with each passing port of call.
Only Connect examines the very nature of human interaction and the desperate need for connection in an increasingly fraught world in which things are not always what they might seem. The Asian leg of the ship’s journey leads to a potentially catastrophic geopolitical flashpoint, as revelations are made that result in dramatic and fascinating consequences.
As the good ship McCarthy wends its way from the UK to China across troubled waters, Susan and Howard – two employees in a shipping and logistics company – establish an extraordinary friendship in cyberspace. Entrusted with ensuring the timely delivery of a valuable cargo, they discuss everything under the sun (and then some) as their relationship develops with each passing port of call.
Only Connect examines the very nature of human interaction and the desperate need for connection in an increasingly fraught world in which things are not always what they might seem. The Asian leg of the ship’s journey leads to a potentially catastrophic geopolitical flashpoint, as revelations are made that result in dramatic and fascinating consequences.
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2022
2 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 6, 2022
No spoilers.
"The last few days have been difficult for me too, but I am not going to tell you that I have even started to deal with the guilt. That would be a lie"
So many great sentences in this book.
I was attracted by the title and it did not disappoint. A lot of my own personal and professional life deals with relationships and this book is a wonderful dive into what it takes to create and maintain them. How do humans build relationships and why do they do it? What's the point, what do they offer us and what gets in the way?
If that makes this book seem heavy, then you should know that it's really not like that at all! I like the way it moves between moments of light humour and deep questions. There are even moments of boredom, where nothing seems to be happening. Why? Because that's exactly what happens in relationships!
The narrative about relationships is nicely intertwined with a storyline about shipping. On the surface, the two elements seem disconnected, but are they?
It's the kind of book that I now want to go back and re-read to see what I missed the first time (I read it too fast!)
"The last few days have been difficult for me too, but I am not going to tell you that I have even started to deal with the guilt. That would be a lie"
So many great sentences in this book.
I was attracted by the title and it did not disappoint. A lot of my own personal and professional life deals with relationships and this book is a wonderful dive into what it takes to create and maintain them. How do humans build relationships and why do they do it? What's the point, what do they offer us and what gets in the way?
If that makes this book seem heavy, then you should know that it's really not like that at all! I like the way it moves between moments of light humour and deep questions. There are even moments of boredom, where nothing seems to be happening. Why? Because that's exactly what happens in relationships!
The narrative about relationships is nicely intertwined with a storyline about shipping. On the surface, the two elements seem disconnected, but are they?
It's the kind of book that I now want to go back and re-read to see what I missed the first time (I read it too fast!)
June 5, 2022
It's not a book that I'll pick up based on its cover but the synopsis is intriguing enough and it's epistolary (email). I kind of resonated with Howard especially when he said that humans are inherently good. The conversations are interesting with the necessary sexual tension. I can't say more without giving anything away other than the conversations made me think more about how humans communicate and connect with each other, and some philosophical stuff. Do pick it up if you see it.
August 29, 2022
This is a brilliant read - a page-turner in the real sense. A unique style - that of email exchange - which gives the reader a voyeuristic sense of the forbidden. I truly felt I knew the characters, so clear were their voices. But that twist at the end ... (ssshh spoiler) ... I did not see that coming.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews