Everyday Lou Suffern battled with the clock. He always had two places to be at the same time. He always had two things to do at once. When asleep he dreamed. In between dreams, he ran through the events of the day while making plans for the next. When at home with his wife and family, his mind was always someplace else.
On his way into work one early winter morning, Lou meets Gabe, a homeless man sitting outside the office building. Intrigued by him and on discovering that he could also be very useful to have around, Lou gets Gabe a job in the post room.
But soon Lou begins to regret helping Gabe. His very presence unsettles Lou and how does Gabe appear to be in two places at the same time?
As Christmas draws closer, Lou starts to understand the value of time. He sees what is truly important in life yet at the same time he learns the harshest lesson of all.
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If you were to stroll down the candy-can façade of a suburban housing estate early on Christmas morning, you couldn't help but observe how the houses in all their tinselled glory are akin to the wrapped parcels that lie beneath the Christmas Tree within.- 1, AN ARMY OF SECRETS
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(@picadorbooks, 22 September 2009, audiobook, 8 hours 7 minutes, bought from @audibleuk)
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I loved The Gift. This was a Christmas freebie from Audible a couple of years ago. I've read other books by the author and really enjoyed them so had high hopes for The Gift. It's the perfect holiday read (or in this case, listen). The events take place in the lead up to Christmas and this manages to be a seasonal story without being cheesy. There's humour and drama and lots of love. This is a fun book but also quite sad and serious at times. I found it enchanting. I also found it very sad especially at the end.
