A high pressure lifestyle with a matching high pressure career is causing debilitating migraines for John McCann.  Growing up poor in England, John left for Australia as soon as he was able, deciding to settle in Melbourne while he worked like a demon to fill his bank account.  But, with his doctor’s warnings John is taking a year away from the rat race and plans to lease a small bookstore named Margins from Maggie who intends to retire.    

Life on the streets is always hazardous for those without anything. David has been living on the streets for quite awhile before Maggie, the owner of Margins Bookstore and her son Jamie talk him into coming inside for a few hours each day to rest, read and share lunch with Jamie.  There’s just something special about David, a quiet, harmless and gentle man that has them reaching out.

When John takes over Margins the first thing he does is try to figure out how to work with the exuberant, overly chatty Jamie.  The second thing is getting rid of the bum who seems to have made a corner of the store his own free reading area. Jamie however insists that David is worth getting to know.  Little does John know that his life is about to irrevocably change once he agrees to let David return.   From then on, every day is challenging as John and David begin their friendship. They can be so special but it’s a long sometimes cruel road to happiness and they might not be up to fighting for a future together.

A Note in the Margin is an emotional tour de force from beginning to end.  The main characters are at opposite ends of the spectrum, a work horse and a broken soul, they’ve accepted their place in life yet once they meet, fate has other plans for them.  Ironically it’s Jamie that brings the men together and becomes the linchpin in A Note in the Margin.  Readers are treated to funny intervals and tearful moments.  At one point I felt that John would be justified in throwing in the towel and giving up on David but I was wrong and figured out that love has no bounds, love is worth everything.  Even knowing that John and David are only characters they still got to me deeply, I felt tears on my cheeks at one point.  A Note in the Margin strokes, tugs and pulls your heartstrings, then fills you with comfort and love.  I Joyfully recommend A Note in the Margin for those who don’t confine love to a narrow mold.