This Shining Life

Meet Ollie. He's eleven years old. He has memorized every world capital and every soccer player in the Premier League, and he hasn't yet met a Killer Sudoku he can't solve. He hates it when grown-ups use words with double meanings or ask him two questions at once. He loves his family fiercely, but sometimes he cannot control his anger. And, now, he must face a sudden tragedy and learn there is no easy answer to the problem of grief.

When Ollie's happy-go-lucky father, Rich, dies of brain cancer, the entire family is thrown into disarray. His mother, Ruth, won't get out of bed. His aunt Nessa wants to take charge, but her forceful, no-nonsense approach leaves everyone reeling. His eccentric grandmother wants to move them into her ramshackle cottage in the woods, hoping to heal the wounds of the past. And his paternal grandparents find their own health issues escalating as they mourn the loss of their only son.

The only thing that makes sense to Ollie is the puzzle he's convinced his father left behind: six gifts, one for each member of the family. If he can find the connection between a fluted vase and an old pair of binoculars, or work out how the painting of a majestic ship fits in, then somehow he′ll discover the secret he believes Rich wanted to share with them all: what it means to be alive.

Told by each character in turn, this beautiful story is a poignant yet ultimately uplifting meditation on grief and healing, and it paints a portrait of a family learning to come together through the darkest times.