A couple of weeks ago I signed up for the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program and downloaded the file for Andy Andrews’ new book called The Noticer. I had intended to read and review it in the coming weeks. As my eye surgery neared I realised that I’d have plenty of time to kill, so I bought the audio book anyway, even though I had a free copy sitting there waiting for me to read . I’m glad I did.

I listened through the book in a single sitting this week while I was waiting for my eyes to heal. I can imagine that if I had been reading the paper copy, I would not have been able to put it down.

The Noticer is a funny mix of what appeared to be a fiction and non-fiction story all rolled into one that follows the activities of an old guy by the name of Jones (just Jones…no mister). Jones seemed to show up at just the right time to help people who were in sticky life situations, and after he dispensed his pithy, down to earth wisdom, disappeared as mysteriously as he appeared.

I spent most of the book trying to figure out if Jones was actually a real person or a supernatural being of some sort…it annoyed me a little because it was distracting, but I guess that’s part of what kept me engaged. The episodes contained within the book, while engaging on their own, felt a little disjointed and almost as though they were mini-sermons tacked together, and I often wondered how Andy switched from narrating the story from his perspective to writing about situations where he was not present. In spite of these distractions I’d wholeheartedly recommend the book. It contains a swag of easily applied common wisdom for living that is refreshing in its directness and simplicity. Jones doesn’t mince words, but dispenses truth with grace and love (something I aspire to!).

Jones’ gift for being able to notice little things that are in plain view, but often overlooked by others, allowed him to help his new friends see their circumstances from a different perspective. Jones often said : “In desperate times, much more than anything else, folks need perspective.” And it was this theme that eventually tied the disparate parts together for me. I finished up the book thinking that it would be nice to have a noticer around to bring perspective to my life in those moments where I can’t see the forest for the trees

It is an inspiriting and challenging read. Well worth the investment.

The Noticer is available in Australia through Koorong and Word bookstores.

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