After his mother dies, Charlie Hall struggles to adjust to
what his life has become. His father is consumed with his
own grief and has no time for Charlie's. His friend from
seventh grade has begun to act like Charlie doesn't even
exist. Charlie is completely alone with his guilt and grief.
That is until he meets Emory, a grizzly bear who saves
Charlie from a mountain lion. Grizzly bears are supposed to
be extinct in northern Idaho, but Emory is no ordinary
grizzly. He's a bear on a mission with a message for
Charlie.
EMORY'S GIFT is a coming-of-age story set in 1970's northern
Idaho, told through the lens of time as grown-up Charlie
reflects back on the overwhelming events of his eight grade
year. The narrator himself implies that the events he
remembers could be inaccurate. Emory came into Charlie's
life when Charlie needed him most. He left just as quickly,
but he was definitely not forgotten. I tend to distrust
narrators of this story type. I guess, I'm a suspicious
sort, and I've read Life of Pi, which has quite the
questionable ending. Kids and adults remember events as they
want to remember them. Childhood is often coated with a
golden haze of nostalgia and warm fuzzy memories because it
is the accumulation of events rather than a single moment in
time. So when Charlie is looking back on the events of this
one moment, he can't separate out what came after or before;
it is layers of memories that create an overall impression
of what happened. The real question is, does it matter if it
really happened or not?
EMORY'S GIFT isn't about truth or fact. It's about what
becomes of a family when the unexpected happens and their
world falls apart. It's about how that family can find peace
again through faith, love, and hope. EMORY'S GIFT by W.
Bruce Cameron is engaging, heartfelt, and at times quite
funny. If you're a fan of inspirational fiction told through
the warm glow of nostalgia, then EMORY'S GIFT will be a
wonderful story for you to curl up with on a rainy day.
After 13-year-old Charlie Hall's mother dies and his
father retreats into the silence of grief, Charlie finds
himself drifting lost and alone through the brutal halls of
junior high school.
But Charlie Hall is not entirely friendless. In the woods
behind his house, Charlie is saved from a mountain lion by a
grizzly bear, thought to be extinct in northern Idaho.
And this very unusual bear will change Charlie's life
forever.
Deeply moving, and interwoven with hope and joy, Emory's
Gift is not only heartwarming and charming coming of age
story, but also a page-turning insightful look at how faith,
trust, and unconditional love can heal a broken family and
bridge the gaps that divide us.