The Gift

Product Information

The moral of the book is that time is a gift. We do not have enough of it so we must spend our time wisely, share it with family and friends.

I haven't read anything by Cecila Ahern for quite some time, but when I saw this on Netgalley, I had to request a copy. Thank you to them and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This short novel follows the story of Lou, who in a charitable mood gives a job to a mysterious, observant homeless man named Gabe. Not entirely selfless- the job was given in an attempt to make the mailroom a little more efficient- but Lou begins to dislike Gabe and sees him as a possible competitor at his office and all the while Gabe is attempting to subtly guide him towards a path of being a better man. While the blurb and cover points to a traditional holiday read with lots of holiday goodwill and cheer, with warm and fuzzy endings- be warned - this is more of a sentimental tearjerker. There are plenty of other holiday movies and books that read this way and many people love them, but I'm more of a guaranteed happy ending person- especially right now. 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?Interestingly, while at the Bull and Bear bar, the live show ran late and there wasn’t enough time for my interview. We had to record it at the end, to add it into another live show on a different day. I’m not sure if that ever happened. So we ran out of time in the exact moment I came up with a novel about time. Timely, wasn’t it? There was a kind of panic in the air that month, I felt it from a lot of people. Cecelia shares with us the inspiration behind her character and the lessons she learned while writing The Gift. Extremely successful executive, Lou Suffern is always overstretched, immune to the holiday spirit that delights everyone around him. The classic workaholic who never has a moment to spare, he is always multitasking while shortchanging his devoted wife and their adorable children. And ever since he started competing for a big promotion, he has barely seen his family at all. Time is more precious than gold, more precious than diamonds, more precious than oil or any valuable treasures. It is time of which we do not have enough; it is time that causes the war within our hearts, and so we must spend it wisely. The story follows Alice with her gift, and the people in her life – her disturbing and difficult relationship with her Mother and Brother Ollie, her elder Brother Hugh and then later her first boyfriend, husband, children and grandchildren.

Cecelia Ahern (born 30 September 1981) is an Irish novelist, known for her works like PS, I Love You; Where Rainbows End; and If You Could See Me Now. Born in Dublin, Ahern is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold over 25 million copies of her novels worldwide. Two of her books have been adapted as major motion films. The short story collection Roar has been adapted as a series for Apple TV+. The Story over all I felt had quite a bit of magical realism in bit of magical realism in it which really drawn me into the story itself, If your a fan of T.J klune then I think you will live this . Tales of people who are blinded by success or money neglecting the important things in life before having an epiphany have been told many times before. Does Cecelia Ahern break any new ground? Not really. Is The Gift worth a read? Probably. The story of Lou Suffern, a successful business many too busy for his family, is wrapped up in another story where a policeman tries to show an angry teenager the error of his ways. As a storytelling device it's not brilliant, but it sort of works.

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It's also about arrogance and Lou definitely thought he was indispensable much to his and his family's cost. I admit it's not a light, jolly tale but the veins of hope that run through it as the story progresses makes it such a beautiful and unique read.