My Thoughts

The Baggage Handler is a cleverly written analogy about all of the “baggage” we carry around whether we realize it or not. It is a short, thought provoking book that stayed with me long after I finished it. Author David Rawlings has written a unique book with this one.

We meet Gillian. She is not happy with what she has or who she is and compares herself to others, especially her older (and unhappier) sister. Then there is David. He struggles with forgiveness. Lastly we meet Michael, a young man, who has pressure from his father about the future which creates self doubt about his own future desire. Besides these three, there is the upbeat, wise baggage handler.

This is the first book I have read by author David Rawlings. I enjoyed his style of writing. It had a current vibe that was easy to read. A few spots seemed to drag for me. One of my favorite things he wrote was “The siren song of Facebook, a song she could never deny, called to her.” How true is that? So poetic and cutting for a current issue. Then he used “the siren song” again a bit later and I was disappointed to hear it again.

The characters broke my heart. Why didn’t they see what weighed them down everyday? The book will make you take inventory of your own baggage. The ending left me wanting more. I wanted this book to evangelize about Jesus and Heaven. I wanted to know what happened after the characters left baggage claim. The Christian in me whispered that the book missed its mark. It just left me wanting. However, I was thrilled to find Discussion Questions at the end.

“The Baggage Handler” is a book that will make you think about your life. It certainly did me. Will it bring you closer to God. I seriously doubt it. However, I would recommend it. It would work wonderful in a reading group. There is so much to dissect and discuss. Individuals will enjoy it, too. I rated it a 3.5 stars. A copy was provided by Celebrate Lit but I was under no obligation to write a favorable review. These are my own, honest thoughts.

About the Book

In a similar vein to The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews or Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory, The Baggage Handler is a contemporary story that explores one question: What baggage are you carrying?

Three people take a flight that will change their lives forever. Fresh off a run-in with his wife, harried businessman David disembarks the plane angry and impatient. Gillian thought she would be more excited about coming to her niece’s wedding, but she is just hoping to survive. Malcolm has gambled everything on this trip to start his fledgling artistic career. To him, failure means working in hardware in what his father calls “a real job.” After each picks up the wrong suitcase, they make their way to a mysterious baggage depot in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the Baggage Handler, who shows them there is more in their baggage than what they have packed. A simple baggage mix-up at the airport is more than an inconvenience when it forces three people to face the baggage they are unknowingly carrying around.

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About the Author

David Rawlings is an Australian author, and a sports-mad father-of-three who loves humor and a clever turn-of-phrase. Over a 25-year career he has put words on the page to put food on the table, developing from sports journalism and copywriting to corporate communication. Now in fiction, he entices readers to look deeper into life with stories that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face.