Not so great (The Greatest Gift - Danny Leigh)

Member Name: IainWear

Product:	The Greatest Gift - Danny Leigh
Date:	25/11/05 (135 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An interesting idea

Disadvantages: A disappointing ending

A few years ago, I came up with an idea for a short story that involved a character jumping off a high roof. The idea was that he would deliver his last words on the way down. As with many of my ideas, it remained nothing more than a theory and the story was never written. However, the idea remained with me and so when I saw Danny Leigh’s “The Greatest Gift” worked on much the same principle, I was immediately intrigued.

It’s around midday and Matthew Viss is standing on the roof of his apartment building, nine floors above ground. As he jumps and as he falls, he tells the story of how he ended up in that situation and how he came to believe that ending it all in this way was the only path available to him.

Matthew honestly believed that the day he forgot his daughter’s birthday after he’d been consumed by other events was the lowest day of his life. That day led to his leaving his family and having very little contact with them. Shortly after this, he finds a new flat and gets the job that fits in with what he wants to do; as a concierge for The Greatest Gift.

Matthew is someone who wants to give. His failure to give to his daughter was his downfall and his chance to give to anyone and everyone who needs it is his redemption. His job relies on him to provide services for people too pressured for time to do it themselves. Before long, he realises that giving a service isn’t enough and he starts to give more and more, until his desire to give becomes an obsession

Danny Leigh’s style is an interesting one. There’s an alternation between Matthew’s story and brief flits into the lives of the people he’s talking about on his fall. He mentions each of the people in his apartment building as he falls past their storey and we are introduced to them via a little glimpse of their day, as well as meeting his estranged wife and daughter.

The whole story is written largely without speech marks and paragraph breaks, which seems to be a very popular style at the moment, as it’s the third book I’ve read this year written that way. If it’s the first time you come across this style of writing, it can be a little confusing, but once you get used to it, you stop noticing and it becomes quite an open and flowing style.

There are elements of Nick Hornby’s “How to be Good” in the basic story, one of a man who is only trying to help but hasn’t really thought it through. This time around it’s his own decision, rather than being influenced by someone else, and the book isn’t filled with the same level of humour as Nick Hornby’s writing.

It’s tough to put this book into a category. The story of a life being told as it nears an end is quite similar to Stuart Browne’s “Dangerous Parking” or James Frey’s “A Million little Pieces”. “The Greatest Gift”, however, doesn’t have the same knack at making you feel sympathy for the main character, as he’s responsible for his own position, rather than having been put there by illness or addiction.

Matthew Viss isn’t the most sympathetic of lead characters, either. Although his desire to give and to help is admirable, his inability to give enough devotion to those closest to him is not. Matthew seems to be somewhat self indulgent, yet has no self control and I couldn’t find myself warming to him at any stage. His life was different enough to be vaguely interesting without being fascinating although, much like Bridget Jones, there was too much happening for the story to be truly believable.

The story is well told and does pass by fairly quickly, but without being engrossing. It’s a good book to be reading on short journeys, as you can pick it up and put it down very easily, without ever losing the thread of the story and without ever being too disappointed when the time comes to end your reading for a while.

The story was interesting for me personally, purely on the premise it was based on. If it hadn’t been for that, I don’t think the book would have appealed in the same way and I would have enjoyed it less. Far preferable for me would be to be reading the two books I mentioned above or, for more of an emotional read, something by Mike Gayle.

I wouldn’t recommend this book at the Amazon price of £4.79, or the Marketplace price of £3.75. For someone looking for a fairly inoffensive read on a long journey, or a regular commute, copies have been seen on eBay from £1.50, or try your local second hand bookshops or charity shops. It passes the time, but only as a decent alternative to staring into space.

Summary: The story of one man's decline and fall. Literally.