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.



My Thoughts: This was an eye-opening story about how we carry our troubles or "baggage" with us every day. This becomes such a habit that we can be so unaware that we are in truth carrying so much with us that we don't have to. Why not feel free and give it all to the one who says He will carry all our troubles and burdens?


This is a wonderful reminder from the author that we need not burden ourselves, that we can live the life we want. I really enjoyed this novel, it brought to my attention that we all need to look inside and take inventory and just let go anything that is bringing us down. I could completely relate to Michael and Gillian with the baggage they were carrying. This is a book that catches the readers' attention from beginning to end and can totally relate to in many aspects. The reader can identify with any of the characters in this novel. This is a novel I truly enjoyed and highly recommend it to others.

I loved the premise of this book, and it began with much intrigue as the path of each character unraveled. But, after finishing, I felt the book rushed for closure. I wish more information was provided about the baggage handler and where he came from perhaps. Also, it would have been nice for each character, after recognizing their flaws, to have been reunited with their loved ones. To me, there was not a complete closure for the reader of the characters.

You’ve heard the saying a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, with David Rawlings, it takes just a small percentage of those words to paint an entire picture: “The kitchen was a spotless tribute to reflection and polish. Even the cat’s litter box was immaculate, raked like a Japanese garden.” That combination of crisp, concise storytelling and vivid description makes this the kind of story that even non-readers will want to pick up.

The other really appealing thing about this story is its apparent simplicity. Less than twelve hours pass between the first page and the last and you can literally sum up the plot as “Three people pick up the wrong suitcases at the airport and go to the baggage centre to sort it out.” Even taking into account the obvious metaphor in the words “sort it out”, it doesn’t seem like much of a plot to work with. And then you’ve got the challenge of character development. How much can you really do with a character in less than twelve hours?

None of this seems to have daunted David Rawlings, because you do get to know these characters—as much as is necessary to the story—almost without realising it. Backstory is seamlessly woven into the narrative, and the characters’ emotional states and attitudes come through loud and clear in their actions and their different narrative voices. And of course the whole point of this story is that we’re meeting these characters at a turning point in their lives, when their eyes are opened to the baggage that’s weighing them down and they’re presented with the choice to keep dragging it behind them or give it to the Baggage Handler. And giving it to the Baggage Handler is not necessarily as easy as you would think.

This book is testament to the truth that stories don’t have to be complicated to be either engaging or thought-provoking. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next offering from this author.

What a wonderful reading experience! Reminiscent of James L. Rubart's books, The Baggage Handler is very insightful and contemplative, but also quite entertaining.
It addresses the question: how do we handle the baggage we carry around in our lives? Through three different characters' eyes, the reader gets to see how the things we choose to hang onto and lug around in our lives--whether intentionally or unintentionally--affects us and what the consequences might be of letting it go and continuing to hang on.
This is a fast-paced read, but it begs to be discussed and thought about long after completion. I look forward to additional books by this talented writer in the future.

This is a good book. The plot is well designed. Like an allegory, we gain insights through the actions of the characters. And those characters are well developed. We cheer them on, wondering if they will break through the barriers to be free.

The lessons included in the plot structure are thought provoking. We find we all carry baggage whether we recognize it or not. We learn how we've accumulated it and what it takes to let it go. Perhaps lugging it around is easier than the fight to be free of it. Perhaps the baggage has sentimental attachment. We cling to it even though it might be killing us.

I highly recommend this book. It's a quick read yet is full of valuable information. The truth included is universal. There are no Christian overtones in the book although there certainly could have been and I wish there had been. I'll be thinking about this book for a while and looking for more from this author.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I liked the idea behind this book where three people are carrying around emotional baggage that is not allowed them to move forward with their lives. Literally, the three main characters take home one another’s bags accidentally from the airport baggage claim. Because they have the wrong bags, their day is all mixed up and they need to get the own bag back. They are directed to the baggage center in order to find the Baggage Handler. He parks each person in a room that makes them confront their issues at home. I thought the writing was rough, not smooth. I did like the idea, but I think it could be improved in the style to read less choppy.

What baggage are you carrying with you? It's really quite the loaded question. The Baggage Handler is a powerful story that takes a look at the lives of 3 people and the "baggage" they don't realize they are carrying with them wherever they go. What you may not expect as a reader, is that as the characters start to see their own baggage for what it is, you as a reader start to look at your own baggage and how it effects your life.

Have you ever heard some one say to you "take it to the cross and leave it?" It's basically the concept of this book only spoken through a different metaphor. If we are never made aware of the baggage we carry, then we are unable to have it lifted from us. You can't escape it, and you can't pretend it's not there. You do have a choice with what you do with it though.

This was a powerful read and I don't want to give anything more away. It's a shorter read so won't take you long, but I recommend this to everyone regardless of what your typical interests are. It's thought-provoking and is sure to leave you thinking long after you've closed the cover. What baggage will you give up?

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson (Publisher) and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty quick read.

3 people. 3 different struggles. What's the chance that they would have their paths cross and have their lives change forever?

This was a very inspiring and uplifting story. A modern day parable that teaches us what happens when we hold on to the "baggage" in our life....and how letting it all go can benefit us.

Reviewed The Baggage Handler for Hope by The Book. Link to review will be posted upon publication of review.

Very good book! It was different than what I usually pick up but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the stories of these people and what they found in luggage that was picked up by mistake

In the book The Baggage Handler, author David Rawlings, creates a modern day parable that challenges us to examine what baggage we have packed in our lives and how it is weighing us down. Following a hothead business man, a stressed mother of three and a young artist, Rawlings pulls the reader in their stories of switched airport baggage and in turn we glimpse into our own mirrors to see how past hurts are weighing us down to the future that God has for us.
This is a great fast passed read. I would highly recommend this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A very quick read, that once I started I was finished in one setting.
You will soon feel like you have stepped into another dimension, a bit like the twilight Zone.
I could see this book quickly continuing with sequels, there are lots of hurting people out there.
Will the three chosen individuals here have life changes? Surprises are seen as we continue with the stories, and we wonder what is going to happen, and as with real life, not always as we hope.
This one is going to make you think, could this, be you?

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.

Three people: David, Gillian and Michael all arrive at the same airport on different flights and manage to take the wrong bag from the baggage conveyor belt. All happen to need certain content from their bags almost immediately and hence are tremendously inconvenienced by the mistake. On calling the airport they are directed to the speak to a gentleman who calls himself simply, the baggage handler who asks they meet him at a specific location.

All three separately arrive at this mysterious out of the way location and are ushered into different rooms where they meet this rather unusual character, the Baggage Handler. What takes place is part-counselling session, part life coach where they each discover the only way to leave with their own luggage is to process the 'baggage' they've been carrying around with them for much of their lives.

The three characters and their 'baggage' are all relatable and make the reader question for themselves what 'baggage' we may be carrying around that is holding us back. The Baggage Handler is a curious character who was at times frustratingly annoying and other times wonderfully empathetic.

Rawlings, for a debut novelist, is a strong writer and has produced an excellent story that explores some deep spiritual and psychological issues that make the reader think. Whilst the characters are easily relatable I found myself a little ambivalent towards them. I would have liked the story to have been a little longer to give more depth to the important issues our three characters were asked to confront.

I have no hesitation in recommending The Baggage Handler and look forward to buying copies for family and friends.

It’s rare that I read a book in two sittings. This thought-provoking debut from David Rawlings kept me turning the pages to find out what decisions his three protagonists would come to – Michael, Gillian and David – all with struggles similar to ones we all carry around with us every day. It’s a deceptively simple story on the surface but Rawlings gives us a lot to unpack with the symbolism of the Baggage Services building, the waiting room for each person which is set to match their internal struggles, and the full length mirror they each must consent to view themselves in before they can leave the waiting room to rejoin the outside world.
Unforgiveness, bitterness, parental expectations, believing you’re “less than”, envy, fear of missing out, wrong and missing priorities, a harsh and critical spirit…all of these are no match for The Baggage Handler who helps each of them figure out how to “deal” with their baggage, hand it over to him and let it all go.
If you love C.S. Lewis and modern-day allegories, you will love “The Baggage Handler”. Available March 5, 2019 at: https://amzn.to/2tXPKxT

Three weary travelers, each having flown to the same city for important life events, get their luggage switched at the airport. That's the start of David Rawlings's The Baggage Handler, a novel with a message. Once the travelers realize they have the wrong bags, their trip--and maybe major life opportunities--seem to be dashed. The young man trying out for a track scholarship doesn't have his spikes. The business man trying to justify his branch's continued operation doesn't have his presentation. The mom who is jealous of her sister's perfect life doesn't have the clothes she needs for the big wedding weekend.

As each calls the airline to arrange to recover their luggage, they are directed to an unmarked warehouse in a seemingly deserted area of town. There they each meet a baggage handler whom they had seen at the airport. Soon he reveals the real reason for their being there. He's the baggage handler, here to help them deal with the baggage in their lives. No, not their luggage, although he helps with that, too, but their baggage, the things that prevent them from being who they were made to be.

The Baggage Handler reads as you might expect from a story that's really not about telling a story, but about teaching a lesson. It's a valuable lesson that we probably all need to hear. Perhaps you have baggage holding you back, whether it's comparing yourself to others, trying to live up to your parents' expectations, harboring unforgiveness, or being overly critical of yourself. Maybe you have some baggage you need to hand over to the baggage handler.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

The Baggage Handler reads like an episode of the Twilight Zone written by Mitch Albom. It is very short and readable... I read it in a few hours and I'm a slow reader. There's a baggage mix-up at an airport and 3 people walk off with each other's luggage. They each arrive at a strange location where they learn they must deal with their (emotional) baggage to get their (physical) baggage back.

While thought-provoking, the story was too saccharine for my taste and the novel's too short to allow for deep character development or growth that feels believable in the given time frame of the book. Nevertheless, many readers will enjoy the self-reflection that this book inspires and see glimpses of him/herself, or someone they know, in the characters. It's worthwhile for a quick read.

I received an Advance Copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will give it 3 stars. This short novella is well-written, yet entirely to predictable. I would have lived to see it be about 100 more pages, so the author could really flesh out the stories and the characters. This is a very fast and easy read that will be loved by many people. I just was hoping for more.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

This is a short, but very powerful book. Through fiction, the author makes the reader look at themselves to determine the "baggage" they carry. He explains how we may be carrying baggage that we never realized that we did. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to take a closer look at themselves. But be prepared, you may not like what you see.

With an easily accessible voice and relatable characters, The Baggage Handler is fiction to enjoy while ruminating with a cup of coffee. Rawlings inspires us to inhabit the best and worst of nature as represented in characters who bring this soft parable to life with surprising dimension and depth.

Less divisive than The Shack and with a sterner faith foundation than Mitch Albom, The Baggage Handler has the light philosophical touch of Alexander McCall Smith, the intense messaging of Katie Ganshert and the symbol of thematic resonance of James L. Rubart.


The thinking person's fictional experience and definitely one to keep on the list of "What to Buy for People You Don't Know What to Buy for"

( seriously ---built in Christmas gift here).


An exciting and needed new voice in inspirational fiction.

Great book, easy read, very inspiring! If you are a fan of Jon Gordon, you will definitely enjoy this book.