Book review, The Noticer

If you’re looking for a small dose of timeless wisdom loosely fashioned into a story, you might enjoy The Noticer by Andy Andrews. In this book, a mysterious white-haired man named simply Jones appears to folks in a small town when they face crises, helps them gain perspective on their problems, then disappears. I like that Andrews weaves applications of wisdom into people’s lives in real-life situations, like employer-employee relations, dehumanization of workers, marital disconnects and despair, young-adult hopelessness and confusion. Almost any reader would recognize similar dilemmas in his or her world. And I like that Andrews puts himself into some of the book’s stories as one of Jones’ “helpees.”

I like that Jones calls himself a noticer. Early in the first story, he says, “I am a noticer … It is my gift. While others may be able to sing well or run fast, I notice things that other people overlook … about situations and people that produce perspective. That’s what most folks lack—perspective—a broader view. So I give them that broader view … and it allows them to regroup, take a breath, and begin their lives again.”

In some cases, the rejuvenating perspective comes from illuminating the universality of obstacles. In other cases, Jones shares the benefits of compassion and a long view of integrity. Sometimes he asks, What if you did this instead of that? Jones exemplifies Marcel Proust’s observation: The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

To enjoy The Noticer, please just roll with the hokey mysteries of Jones. No one knows who he is, where he’s from, what’s in the brown suitcase he always carries, or how he knows to show up at critical junctures in townspeople’s lives. Even if you believe in angels, Jones is a contrived character. I had to just accept Jones as a device Andrews uses to make his points. I also had to overlook parts that felt preachy. My not getting attached to any character in any story, as I might in a novel, made for a little boredom, too.

If you hang in to the end, however, you will be rewarded with a Reader’s Guide to help you apply new perspectives to your own life. Questions on each chapter and questions for personal reflection are insightful. Even if you humbly reflect and act on only a few of these questions, you will be a changed person.