Radio Jet Lag

by Gregor Craigie

All the coffee in the world can’t keep Stephen Millburn from floundering at his new job as an early-morning radio host. With a new baby at home and an irate boss at work, Stephen is barely holding it together. Trying to balance his parental duties with his work schedule leaves Stephen falling asleep in the most inconvenient of places and makes him late for just about everything. Already at risk of losing his job, Stephen finds himself pursuing a story about a homeless encampment against his boss’s wishes. As much as he may struggle to stay awake during his broadcasts, he needs this job to support his growing family and pay down his crippling mortgage. Can Stephen find a way to pull it all together or will he crash and burn? With just the right amount of heart and humanity, Gregor Craigie’s Radio Jet Lag is a satirical tale of an often chaotic medium and the serious stories it seeks to tell.

Genres: Fiction, Canada

352 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2023

Reviews

[Karrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me, many chapters of the protagonist complaining about being tired. I enjoyed the Cancon, but also felt it made a point of mentioning double doubles at every chance. The ending was abrupt and the church ending odd as religion wasn’t mentioned prior.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Steve Millburn is a new father, an early morning radio host and prone to falling asleep at most inopportune times—like on air during his show. Real life CBC Victoria morning radio host Gregor Craigie's first novel is firmly grounded in Victoria (he place name drops almost obsessively) and presents a realistic view of sleep-deprived parents struggling with a newborn. But I would have liked to see Steve's challenges at work (he wants to focus on the plight of homeless people; his almost comically right-of-centre boss wants that issue toned down) have higher stakes and peak a bit sooner. Craigie is a skilled writer and he depicts life at a radio station vividly but a lot of action happens in that small studio and I found that made the book a bit claustrophobic. Craigie did write this book while raising kids and pulling down the early morning shift so hat's off to him for that. Given how the books ends, he may have a sequel in the works that allows Steve to be a bit more free-range.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up while on vacation in Canada, and am glad I did! It was a quick, fun read with relatable characters - especially as a parent. I appreciated the values and surprise ending as well

[Mike Forestell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book with a surprise ending

[Anne Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been chatting about books on CBC Calgary’s afternoon drive home show for about 10 years now, so I’ve gotten a clear glimpse behind the curtain of live radio. That being said, there’s A TON I don’t know about this industry, and the inner workings on the morning show here are still a mystery to me – how people go to work that early every day seems like an ongoing challenge. It’s these little quirks of the morning radio show host life that make up the bulk of the book Radio Jet Lag by Gregor Craigie, a lighthearted look into one sleep-deprived Dad’s job as the new host of a morning show in Victoria, British Columbia.

Plot Summary

Stephen is a young father who has just moved across Canada to start his new job as a morning radio show host for a private broadcaster. His wife is a lawyer who is at home with their newborn son Noah, but struggling with the demands of having a baby in a brand new place with no family around. They also have a dog Rosie, which at this point in their life, is more of a burden than companion (as a cat lover, I am of course biased) With a large mortgage looming, Stephen has no choice but to trudge to work every day at 4am, even after waking multiple times in the night to help out his wife. He’s had a canoe strapped to the roof of his car for months because he hasn’t had the time to take it off, and every free moment he gets, he takes quick cat-naps, and even falls asleep on-air once. Their baby has never slept for more than a few hours straight, so everyone in their household is sleep-deprived. On top of simply surviving, Stephen has stumbled upon a big story; the local homeless encampment is in the process of being torn down, but as he interviews the folks living in it, he hears rumors that someone is paying them to relocate elsewhere, attempting to rid their beautiful town of this perceived eyesore. But Stephen’s boss is sick of the ‘woke’ crowd, and threatens Stephen to quit reporting on homelessness. When a personal issue forces Stephen to make a deal with his boss, things get even more challenging for this weary father figure.

My Thoughts

Aside from our protagonist and narrator Stephen, we don’t dive into many of the other characters, the focus remains on solely on him for the majority of the book, which I found refreshing; new fatherhood isn’t a topic dealt with often in books, so I appreciated reading about his perspective, and the struggle to survive a workday when running on so little sleep. His wife Carole is more of a background character, but she’s shaded in with realistic elements. More than once she breaks down in tears or mutters ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and goes for a walk by herself to cool off, which is a common feeling for many new mums. This phase of their life is not an easy one, but it’s a situation that many can relate to

You can tell by the cover of this book that it’s a feel good story; something you can enjoy even as serious issues are touched upon. There is lots of humour too – Stephen is a bit of a clown, he’s tall, often misunderstands things, and because he’s so tired, stumbles around more than usual. It’s not laugh out loud humour, but I found myself warming to him almost immediately. There is a lot of focus on how he is surviving his sleep deprivation and the numerous Tim Hortons visits he makes (Tim Hortons is a Canadian institution, our donut shop and restaurant we are likely most known for). Maybe its because I read so many thrillers now, but I had an ongoing sense of dread that something very bad was going to happen to him, a car accident, etc. because he is so tired all the time, and it seemed so unsustainable. No spoilers, but rest assured there is a happy (if not ambiguous) ending.

My only complaint is a minor one. In each chapter Stephen would make some odd observations that insinuated something bad might happen, which put me on high alert, expecting a terrible occurrence was right around the corner. Perhaps this is because I read so many mystery novels, but when certain hints were never followed through on, it felt like a dropped thread in the story, even if it was (likely) done on purpose. Aside from that minor quibble, I thoroughly enjoyed my morning show experience with this novel.

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[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting novel, one of the very few "domestic dramas" I think I've read, written by a man, about a man. A young couple with a baby has just relocated to Victoria, B.C. for his job as host of the early morning radio program. (And I do mean early - he has to get up at 3:30 a.m.) Unfortunately, the baby does not sleep through the night and he suffers from sleep deprivation. (He describes it as feeling like having jet lag, hence the title.) The bulk of the novel is him trying to do his job, be a good husband and father, and get some sleep. I liked the novel for its description of what goes into producing a radio program, and also for its characterizations - there were no "bad guys", just ordinary people trying to do their best.

[Nigel W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny, as advertised, but what really surprised me about this book was the humanity. Somehow this book about a sleep-deprived radio host becomes a passionate defence of treating homeless people with more respect and dignity. My only slight critique is that the ending was not fully resolved. I’ll definitely read the sequel if there is one.

[Ellie O'Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such familiar territory, but it's fiction. If you've worked on radio, especially the morning show, this will be part of that hallucinogenic sleep-deprived memory. I still remember the snack I brought for my shift and the frequent trips to the coffee machine. Thanks, Gregor, for the chuckles (the radio ads so defined CIFUs audience!).

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous light read about an early morning radio host in Victoria who is always sleep deprived. I learned a lot about the workings of radio shows. Since Gregor Craigie is an early morning radio host for CBC Victoria, I am sure a lot of the story is based on his life experiences.

[Jack Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canada has news radio. clever topics, characters, and a surprise ending

[Ashley Row · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read about a sleep deprived new father/morning radio host. I enjoyed the focus on the importance of listening to the stories of people (including those unstably housed). The ending did leave me with questions...

[Virginia Huynh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not entirely sure what I just read, it was interesting but the plot doesn't seem to develop