by Barbara Claypole White

When I finished this book, I said to myself: whoo. Not who. Not woo. Whoo (with an exhale). It’s so emotional! There are so many lovely poignant moments! Plus, the settings are North Carolina and England. Two of my favorite places. SO…whoo.

But listen, this author knows her Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. The OCD character is portrayed NOT as an OCD guy, but as a guy who battles OCD every day as he goes about his business, falls in love, and tries to make sense of the world. I love that she shows us the person and his battle, rather than equating the person WITH his battle. She clearly shows us a wonderful guy with flaws, but a realistic man, nevertheless. And then she brings in a woman with flaws, who treats the man first as a man, not a disease. And the treatment of the man by the woman, is shown with such tenderness and care…she interacts with the man, not the OCD. She talks to him about it, but she does not develop a relationship with OCD, it’s with a man. Have I said this too many times? Delightfully written.

Also, the lady knows her gardening. I love that her passion drives parts of the story and it’s such a beautiful metaphor: an Unfinished Garden. We are all as yet unfinished, are we not?

I loved the story, but honestly, I cannot recommend it to some of my readers because of the language. But if you don’t mind the extra color, give this one a try! A master-work by a master author. Rich. Deep. Like seven-layer cake.

Find your copy here.