When Lemons Give You Life: A Novel (Large Print)

Retired Michelin-star chef Griff Barlow has lost his appetite. He's done with grief, guilt and the beige slop they dare call food at Sunny Glen Aged Care Facility, where he now resides.

Six decades of life have given him all the lemons he can handle, so he breaks into the nursing home kitchen to bake himself one last tart. It's supposed to be his final meal but the act of cooking stirs a dormant joy. Soon, he's regularly sneaking in after dark, serving up flavor and comfort to fellow residents, who, in turn, begin to come alive with each bite of Griff's delicious concoctions. Yet behind the apron is a lie so big it could destroy the one thing Griff has left to protect.

Lisa, the only family and visitor Griff has, is clueless to what's happening behind the closed kitchen doors. Their sibling relationship fractured long ago, plus she has her own distractions: navigating an ADHD diagnosis in middle age, the spark of a new romance, and unexpected news that might change life as she knows it. Any hope of reconciliation between the two is long gone, buried in the silence between them.

But the truth has a way of boiling over, and when secrets, soufflés, and second chances collide, Griff and Lisa may discover a recipe for forgiveness.

Heartfelt and inspiring, When Lemons Give You Life is an uplifting, feel-good novel about love, forgiveness, redemption, and the joy of rediscovering what truly matters in life.

Anna Johnston lives by the beach in Melbourne with her husband and daughters. She left medical school to develop an award-winning cooking program for older widowed men before following her heart into her grandfather's nursing home, where she worked as the activities coordinator. She is the author of the international bestseller The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.