The Unfinished Gift by Dan Walsh

A book review of The Unfinished Gift by Dan Walsh

This was the first book I had read by Dan Walsh and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed.

The book is set in 1943 during the war, and centres around a seven year-old boy, Patrick, who has just lost his mother in a terrible car accident. His father is fighting in the war, so Patrick is sent to live with his grandfather whom he has never met. 

However his grandfather wants nothing to do with him, and resents having a nuisance disrupt the monotonous routine of his life. What fuels the animosity is that the old man hasn’t spoken to his own son, Patrick’s father, in years.

They have fundamentally different beliefs from which both refused to back down. Their stubbornness and unforgiveness effectively split a family apart, and now through tragedy, Patrick is thrown into the middle of the turmoil. 

Through his heartache Patrick’s young faith remains unwavering, and he uses the promises his mom taught him as a way to cope with his grief. 

In the attic, he finds an old, dusty wooden soldier. Patrick immediately falls in love with it, and wants to play with it and display it proudly in his bedroom. But his grandfather forbids him to even touch it, and insists it remains hidden away in the dark room. 

If you’re someone who gets the heart-strings tugged easily, you might need the tissue box nearby as you follow the young boy’s journey. The story shows how often the small things can bring about powerful change in our hearts; a young boy’s prayers, a shoe box full of love letters, and even an old toy soldier gathering dust.

If you’d like to order books of Dan Walsh from Amazon (including Kindle) click here

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.