Taking Leave

Jeremy Thomas

Life in 1979 looks pretty good for 25-year-old record producer Tim Lomax. His label is as hot as his new girlfriend and a mega-deal in the US looms over the horizon. But when a family tragedy occurs, Tim’s life starts to spin out of control, a fact that becomes increasingly obvious to everybody except Tim himself.

Exploring the fine line between sanity and madness, Taking Leave is a funny book about an unfunny subject. Written in the first person, it offers the reader a humorous view from a rollercoaster seat of the experience of breakdown and beyond. A place where love, friendship, and family are all put to the ultimate test.

Listen to Simon Mayo on Thursday 11th January from 3pm to hear our panel review the 5 live Book of The Month.

You can download 3 chapters of the book below.

Warning: this extract contains very strong language and is not suitable for children

Darren Borthwick,
Lancashire

The journey we experience in Taking Leave is exhilarating and at times troubling. How many people do we know suffer from depression? If you met Tim Lomax, would you know how troubled he was? There is a worm in his head and it's eating away at his very existence.

Jeremy Thomas takes you into a young man's world and plays with your emotions to extremes you have to read for yourself.

The exquisite details of the feelings within a troubled relationship are explored in great detail and the way Thomas plays with you on the journey is something to be admired. I really bought into Tim Lomax, his world and the way his illness affects it. The way Thomas uses humour to illustrate points is particularly poignant at times and goes to show how fragile human nature can be, laughing one minute and at the depths of despair the next.

If you want a great read and an insight into a truly terrifying illness then Taking Leave is the book for you.

Steven Harris, London
I have just finished reading this novel and can see why it has been awarded book of the month! It is a truly commendable first novel. I truly felt for the main character Lomax. He was portrayed masterfully. This novel will take you on a journey and you will want to keep reading beyond the final page!

Luke Massey (London)
From the offset I could relate to this book, so read with total obsession to say the least. It is definitely a roller coaster ride of emotions for the reader, in fact at one point on the train home I could feel myself welling up and had to actually tell myself ‘to keep it together’ because the lady opposite me started staring in a concerned but equally embarrassing way. I’ve read a lot of these reviews and one thing that keeps coming out is the obvious manic depression angle, is this all people get out of this book? I hope not. It is a fascinating read about an important part of one mans life, we read about everything from his dreams to his nightmares, his loves and his fears. Sure his manic depression is a big part of who he is and which makes him do what he does but I find the situations he gets himself in and out of a lot more compelling to read about then the reasons behind it. I also found this book very funny, some people say they don’t like the character Tim Lomax or find him unlovable, I saw myself in that character (and most people I know who have read it do as well) and found him charming, witty, and more to the point real, the way all anti-heroes should be. I could write all day about this book, about how London seemed so real and alive, and even though I was not alive when the book was set, I felt like I actually had memories of it because the descriptions are so real. The more I think about it, the whole book has a real pulse to it with a haunting soul floating around the top for good measure. In short it’s a great read, not just a lads book, and for Gods sake can someone else find it as funny as I do so I don’t feel like I’m missing the point!

Sarah London
It's a fantastic book. It takes a serious subject and deals with it in an often humorous way. It's very compassionate towards its characters as well. The tone is excellently handled and changes - from the hilarious frenetic confident start - to the poignant grown up ending. I really recommend it an engrossing read for the dark winter months when you need something both page turning but also with real content.