The Gift of Life

I’M not afraid to admit Josephine Moon’s latest novel, The Gift of Life, left me sobbing, but in a good way.

In a way a good novel always does - through Moon’s supreme ability to convey complex human emotions and transport you into the world she has crafted.

You can’t help but identify with the characters - their struggles, their joys and their strengths.

The novel tracks the stories of two very different women – divorced Gabby McPhee, the owner of a café and boutique roasting house, and heart transplant recipient, and Krystal Arthur, a bereaved widow struggling to come to terms with her beloved husband Evan’s death.

And on the periphery of these two women is their children – Gabby’s three who are struggling with their father’s sudden disinterest in them, and Krystal’s young sons, one of whom was only a baby when his father died.

When Krystal appears in Gabby’s café, The Tin Man, convinced the latter received Evan’s heart upon his death, it sets the pair on a life-changing path, one that takes a toll on both.