As part of my Christmas challenge, I borrowed The Gift from the library.  It was a holiday book set in Ireland that could have been edited to about one third of its size.  The story was narrated by a policeman.  He relayed the story to a delinquent teen who awaited release after he threw a frozen turkey through his father’s front window.

It was the tale of a busy executive who wished he could be in two places at once.   He prioritized his work over his family, missed events with his children, didn’t have time for his parents or sister and was not faithful to his wife.  He was always thinking about work, going in early, staying late and waiting for his next promotion.

One day, he stopped and gave a coffee to a homeless man.  He felt a connection and offered him a job in the mailroom which led to a magical sense that he could be in two places at once.  Not wanting to spoil the story, I will say that the rest of the book did offer insight into what is important but that I did not enjoy the ending.

The Gift is not a Christmas story that I would recommend.  It was a pleasant tale but was very slow to start and would have benefited from additional editing.  I look forward to feedback from others if you have read this book.