Australian author David Rawlings has just won a 2019 Christy Award for his debut novel, The Baggage Handler. Congratulations, David!
But how does his second novel, The Camera Never Lies, fare in comparison?
Personally, I think it’s even better.
Now, not everyone will agree with me. One of the strengths of The Baggage Handler was that so many readers could find themselves in one of the three characters: the ambitious businessman, the harried housewife, the teen trying to find his own definition of success. The Camera Never Lies has a narrower set of characters, but I found them just as relateable. And they’re still asking a universal question:
What would you do if your secrets were revealed to those around you?
The Camera Never Lies is the story of a successful marriage counsellor who refuses to face up to the issues in his own marriage, despite his “No Secrets” tagline. Daniel Whiteley inherits his grandfather’s camera, an old-fashioned film model, the kind where the pictures are true and can’t be manipulated with filters or PhotoShop.
As Simon in the photo shop says, the camera never lies.
Or so he thinks. Because when Daniel looks at the photographs, he’s sure they’re not the photos he took. So what are these photos? This is where the slight speculative element comes in, as we discover the camera is a little magical. It captures truth, but not the truth we see …
The Camera Never Lies isn’t overt Christian fiction.
It never mentions God or Jesus or church or prayer. But it is definitely a story built on Christian principles—honesty, integrity, and the importance of internal character over the external trappings of success. As such, it’s both a great story, and a great gift … especially for people who would never pick up a Christian novel.
Recommended.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About David Rawlings
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. That starts with his debut novel – The Baggage Handler – a contemporary story that explores one question: What baggage are you carrying?
Find David Rawlings online at:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Find The Camera Never Lies online:
Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Kobo | Koorong
Glad that these are being written for the general market. They should be books that generate discussion – I wonder if they have discussion guides. Good ones for book clubs because I think they’re also shorter lengths???
The Baggage Handler has lots of great discussion questions, and it is relatively short – shorter than a category romance. There are also questions at the end of The Camera Never Lies which would be great for a book club … or a marriage counselling session.
Hi Christine. Yes they’ve got discussion guides in the back, and I’ve also got a page on my web site to encourage book clubs in how to talk about these issues. I’ve had some really good feedback from book clubs about them!
Iola, I too think it’s better than BH. It’s a great to see David’s growth as a storyteller.
Yes! No pressure for book #3 🙂
None taken.
I look forward to reading these.
I’m about to pre-order a few print copies for family members who enjoyed The Baggage Handler and would like to receive The Camera Never Lies as a Christmas gift. Iola, thanks for sharing your review. 😊