The cover of this book doesn't really give much away about the contents but, wow, what a little gem this is! I devoured it within 2 days and was quite sad to get to the end.
Following the different strands of Johnny MacKinnon's family it just flows beautifully with life's realities. There's no sugar coating or rose tinted filters here.
Johnny's ex wife, and grown up son Corran, live in Scotland. Meanwhile, he is resettled in Florida with his new wife Pauline and running her family's Ice Factory.
So far so good, except Corran is a recovering heroin addict who has fallen on and off the "skag" wagon several times. In fact the last time he visited Johnny coincided with the disappearance of Pauline's wedding ring and accusations of theft (together with some Scottish stubbornness has led to an estrangement between the two).
Then Johnny has an MRI scan and they unexpectedly find a brain tumour...…It's one of those slap in the face moments that makes everyone reassess their lives. Johnny wants to reconcile with Corran, Pauline wonders if she should have had children and all the while the Ice Factory is threatened with ruin following a mysterious ammonia leak.
Aside from the main characters there are so many supporting players - all wonderfully written and fully relevant to the story. There's no padding or nonsense here and I daresay that every single reader of this book will find a dilemma/problem relevant to their own lives.
For all the drama though there is a subtle humour running the whole way through. It's just an absolute joy to read.
Following the different strands of Johnny MacKinnon's family it just flows beautifully with life's realities. There's no sugar coating or rose tinted filters here.
Johnny's ex wife, and grown up son Corran, live in Scotland. Meanwhile, he is resettled in Florida with his new wife Pauline and running her family's Ice Factory.
So far so good, except Corran is a recovering heroin addict who has fallen on and off the "skag" wagon several times. In fact the last time he visited Johnny coincided with the disappearance of Pauline's wedding ring and accusations of theft (together with some Scottish stubbornness has led to an estrangement between the two).
Then Johnny has an MRI scan and they unexpectedly find a brain tumour...…It's one of those slap in the face moments that makes everyone reassess their lives. Johnny wants to reconcile with Corran, Pauline wonders if she should have had children and all the while the Ice Factory is threatened with ruin following a mysterious ammonia leak.
Aside from the main characters there are so many supporting players - all wonderfully written and fully relevant to the story. There's no padding or nonsense here and I daresay that every single reader of this book will find a dilemma/problem relevant to their own lives.
For all the drama though there is a subtle humour running the whole way through. It's just an absolute joy to read.