Book Review - Four Minutes to Save A Life by Anna Stuart

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Title:  Four Minutes to Save a Life

Author: Anna Stuart

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Trapeze

Publication Date: February 2020

Rating: 5 Stars

When supermarket delivery driver Charlie is assigned the Hope Row street, he realises there are a lot of lonely people out there - and for some, he's their only interaction.

The supermarket boss tells Charlie he's a driver, not a social worker - but Charlie's tough exterior begins to soften, and he can't help show a little kindness to the Hope Row residents, helping them find their place in the world once more.

But will his helping hand make everything worse?

Every now an then I request a book on Netgalley purely on impulse, I can't recall what it was that made me click for details, let alone request it, but what I can say is I' incredibly happy that I did.

This book was definitely and published before the Covd 19 crisis escalated like it has done, and yet this seems like such a timely and apt moment for our current situation. 

For its a story where the main character and link between the other threads is a supermarket delivery driver, he has to be in and out of each house within 4 mins and he is continually told that he is a driver and not a social worker. 

Yet Charlie is also aware that for some of his regulars, that he is their only contact  during the week, and that a few on his route are almost certainly lonely, and rarely get out - and if that doesn't sound familiar at the moment for some groups of people then i don't know what will. 

It is an incredibly heartwarming, and inspirational story, of how you can touch and impact other people's lives even if you barely know them.  What is obvious from the outset, is that he has some sort of previous connection to someone on Hope Row. 

The revelation of who and how completely took me by surprise, although it is so cleverly written that I did wonder just how busy Charlie had been the previous year. 

The three regulars he is most interested in are Vik, who makes wonderful curries for a weekly family meal,  Ruth, who drinks too much, and Greg who is an inspirational blogger, but grumpy git in private.   I think I can say that all three of them are grieving, either a person or who they previously were, 

This may be the fist book I've read by Anna Stuart, but I'm certain it won't be my last, as she has a wonderful storytelling ability. 

It's a powerful read and a book that will slowly seep under your skin, until you can't stop thinking about the characters and how they are getting on. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Trapeze for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.