Call It a Gift: (A Novel)

A gentle tale, with spirit and chutzpah, like its characters, Call it a Gift charms with its unlikely plot twists, details such as an octagenarian "escaping" down a bedroom ladder with her new boyfriend, and deep, honest emotion. The web of characters, some of whom you never meet, sparkles with believable middle-aged children, remembered friends and family. Though there is a strongly bitter-sweet flavor to much of the story, which centers around the protagonists coming to grips with loss, it is neither maudlin nor overly sentimental, and in fact shows a great deal of sensitive humor in the telling. A fine story, with memorable characters.