James Chiltern composes a text message, sends it to all 158 of his contacts, puts his phone into flight mode, and leaves home. He is now locked into the course of action he has announced to them: to commit suicide. You don't back out of an announcement like that, and he has ensured that nobody can contact him to talk him out of it.

James' message pings around the world, reaching his ex-friend on the road to Newcastle, his ex-lover in Germany, his estranged sister in Melbourne, and his mum in Bristol. Aghast, these contacts scramble to try and find James and stop this from happening, involving their own contacts in the effort. As they recall their interactions with James, the events that drove him to this pass become clear.

This is a very good book about the loneliness some feel, even in a world supposedly connected by technology to the nth degree. James' battle with depression is sensitively told. I might have given this 5 stars, except that I felt the ending was a bit contrived and unsatisfying. ( )

A thought provoking read about friendships, taking people for granted and demonstrating the positives of the Internet and instant communication.

James gets on a sleeper train from London to Edinburgh. Before he embarks he sends a text to all his contacts saying he is going to take his life. He then puts his phone in flight mode.

The book charts his contacts' reactions, how it affects them and what actions they take in response to his text.

There are a wide variety of characters, all well depicted with their own insecurities and problems and connections to James. Each one affected by the news and how it makes them feel and how they respond. ( )