Still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Jess is about to do the hardest thing she’s ever done: empty her childhood home so that it can be sold.  As she sorts through a lifetime of memories, everything comes to a halt when she comes across something she just can’t part with: an old set of encyclopedias.  To the world, the books are outdated and ready to be recycled.  To Jess, they represent love and the future that her mother always wanted her to have. 

In the process of finding the books a new home, Jess discovers an unusual archive of letters, photographs, and curious housed in a warehouse and known as the Museum of Ordinary People.  Irresistibly drawn, she becomes the museum’s unofficial custodian, along with the warehouse’s mysterious owner.  As they delve into the history of objects in their care, they not only unravel heart-stirring stories that span generations and continents, but also unearth long-buried secrets that lie closer to home.

Inspired by an abandoned box of mementos, The Museum of Ordinary People is a poignant novel about memory and loss, the things we leave behind, and the future we create for ourselves.  

Review:

Thoughtful, tender, and heart-tugging!

The Museum of Ordinary People is a sweet, poignant tale that takes you into the life of the kind, considerate Jess Baxter as her world gets suddenly turned upside down when, while she is still struggling to come to grips with the loss of her mother, she discovers an extraordinary place that takes and safely stores all those precious things that to most may seem like just trash but to others are layered in memories and love, and where together with the new owner, Alex Brody, she begins to uncover new purpose, passion, long-buried secrets, and unconditional friendships.

The writing is nostalgic and heartfelt. The characters are authentic, dependable, and supportive. And the plot is a delightfully engaging mix of life, loss, family, friendship, kindness, honesty, acceptance, generosity, romance, humour, introspection, grief, loneliness, and love.

Overall, The Museum of Ordinary People is a sweet, moving, uplifting tale by Gayle that does a brilliant job once again of highlighting his exceptional ability to create genuine, relatable characters and unique, memorable storylines that thoroughly enchant from start to finish.

This novel is available now.

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