The Unfinished Gift: A Novel

What if you couldn't be there for your child? It's a fear that all parents have. And it's a frightening image that can emotionally scar parents who've been prematurely separated from their children. But what if you were taken from your child, rather than the other way around? That's precisely the journey that Patrick Collins stumbles through in this story, suddently alone and at the mercy of a social worker and an unkind grandfather when his mother is killed in a car accident. With his father off in Germany fighting WWII, Patrick is parentless. It's a story of redemption, release, and righting of wrongs. Get it and read it. But beware, you will need a box of tissues with this one.

What if you couldn't be there for your child? It's a fear that all parents have. And it's a frightening image that can emotionally scar parents who've been prematurely separated from their children. But what if you were taken from your child, rather than the other way around? That's precisely the journey that Patrick Collins stumbles through in this story, suddently alone and at the mercy of a social worker and an unkind grandfather when his mother is killed in a car accident. With his father off in Germany fighting WWII, Patrick is parentless. It's a story of redemption, release, and righting of wrongs. Get it and read it. But beware, you will need a box of tissues with this one.

Let yourself go back in time - more specifically in the year 1943 during the 2nd world war. In this book you will get a multitude of details related to the time where things were though and all the resources were concentrated on the war. You will see how coupons were used for food and how you could get more meat just by saving the fat and bring it back to the butcher. You will experience the loss of a mother, the missing in action father, the strained relationship with a grand-father that you never knew and the discovery of a beautiful wooden toy.
This story will dig out the resentment a father has against his own son and his wife to discover that he was wrong during all these years. And it took the disappearance of this son, the letters of his daughter-in-law as well as a grand-son who runs away in the midst of a major snowstorm to melt the anger away. And from that point on, the grand-father is changed from the inside out.
A wonderful neighbour and a lady from the children's service are also a delight to discover. They embrace the little boy and encourage him to do unto others what he would like to be done to him. And so, he takes on to please his grand-father but it is a hard thing to do since his grand-father is so distant and grumpy. Nevertheless, he tries, gets discourage and decides to leave... Lost in the storm, he will be saved by a gentle stranger who will bring him to safety. While this is happening in town, half-way around the world, another Christmas miracles is happening.
The whole story is spanned on a five days period - from December 20th to the 25th to be exact. Only God could have weaved such a miracle in the lives of these people.
I enjoyed the story very much. It kept me wanting to read more and the way it finishes it makes me wonder what other adventure these characters will experience. I love historical fiction and this one is absolutely special since it is set during the Christmas season. After I turned the last page of the book, I saw an announcement for a sequel titled The Homecoming set to be released in June 2010. I am looking forward to read the sequel just to discover what will happens to all the characters I have learned to love throughout the pages of the Unfinished Gift.

This is a story set during the Christmas season about a lonely little boy, a crusty, bitter, old man and how tragic circumstances bring them together. When he comes to live with his grandfather neither of them is prepared for the changes this brings. The book relates how the boy, Patrick, and his grandfather each journey through their own struggles. Patrick is a remarkable boy who touches the hearts of everyone he meets, including his social worker, his grandfather’s neighbour and a man who looks after him when he is in desperate need of help. The story portrays God’s love and forgiveness; how He changes hearts and heals relationships. This would be a good book to read together as a family.