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The Empathy Problem
So far in his life, Gabriel - selfish, arrogant and happy to be so - has only ever thought about two things: money and himself. When he's diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, he doesn't see why anything should change.
But as the tumour grows, something strange starts happening. Whether Gabriel likes it or not, he's becoming . . . nicer. Kinder. A better person.
And then he meets Caitlin. Before, he wouldn't even have glanced at her; now he's entranced. But real change takes time - and time is something Gabriel just doesn't have.
As each day brings him closer to his last, has the one opportunity for a second chance passed him by?
Author
Author
Imprint
Hodder Paperbacks
ISBN
Publishing date
RRP (paperback)
Pages
978-1473605244
14 Jun. 2018
£7.28
416
Annette
32 year old Gabriel is a City Hedge Fund Manager earning over £3m a year. Work is his whole life, he works 12-13 hours a day, makes his company millions, earns the respect of his colleagues...but he's selfish, cynical and incapable of feeling anything for anyone. From ordinary middle class beginnings, he's worked hard to get where he is...and looks down on nearly everyone.
Gabriel is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and given months to live. Initially, he's in denial, watching The Occupy Protest at St Paul's from his office across the road, making assumptions about the protesters and proud of how he's carrying on life as normal.
Gradually things change, he starts feeling emotions, he makes a few mistakes at work, starts performing random acts of kindness and makes some bizarre decisions
Linda
Review. Gabriel is no angel. High-powered businessman with zero empathy. Suddenly, he finds himself having to re-evaluate his whole life. I never got quite on board with his transformation. I found most of the characters rather stereotypical; the arty musician, the angry feminist, the harmless hipster, so I didn't really feel much empathy for anyone except Gabriel's PA.
What it did do well was to evoke the Occupy London movement, which I remembered. Not for me.
5/10
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