Synopses & Reviews
Review
"A frank and unique yet highly entertaining novel, Owen's Day is a fine collection of thought, very much recommended." –Midwest Book Review
Review
"This captivating novel is an exploration of the daily, sometimes dire incidents that lie like stumbling blocks throughout our lives. On a deeper level, social issues such as the religious concept of “good deeds” and the obligation, or even the preference, to literally pay for every privilege or service, turns this work into a valuable book that invites analysis." –Foreword Reviews
Review
"A complex plot, well-developed characters . . . Owen’s Day establishes Helen Yeomans as a new voice in literary fiction. . . ." –ReaderViews
Synopsis
When 9-year-old Tom is saved from icy death by a man who disappears into the night, the story captures public attention. But days pass and the mystery deepens until Tom’s mother, Sara, begins to fear she may never thank her son’s rescuer, and worse: that Tom will go on believing that he was saved by the spirit of his dead father. When she eventually meets the rescuer, Owen, her gratitude soon gives way to anger, for he has a poor opinion of his impulsive act. By then, however, thanks to the media, their names are inextricably linked. As Christmas approaches, Sara wonders why so generous a man is so alone, while Owen grapples with the knowledge that Sara dislikes the best thing about him. Owen’s Day explores giving and receiving, and the value of risk-taking as a catalyst for human progress.
About the Author
Helen Yeomans was born in England and raised in Canada. She worked in book publishing in Toronto and London, then launched her own firm, providing editing and later writing services to corporate clients worldwide. She began writing fiction more than 20 years ago.
Her first novel, Owen’s Day (published in 2011), was written in the early 1990s. The story of a man who saves a child’s life and the family and city who insist on thanking him, it was intended to build on the success of an earlier nonfiction book, The Christmas Carol Handbook, published in 1987.
Her second novel, Ang Tak, about a Sherpa golfer and his Canadian caddie, will be published in 2012.