A Life Without Hands

The story flows through time around two courageous and unusual people. It is a moving portrait of the difficulties of being creative and true to oneself, both for the author and John Oliver, who was born without hands. John would not allow the difficulties he was born with to become his defining feature. This love story and the hard lessons learned keep readers wondering and hoping through the good and bad times.

Aside from the author's thrilling and challenging year in the ex-Belgian Congo, the book unfolds in the picturesque landscapes of rural England and Rochester, Charles Dickens' characterful hometown. Flowing beside the ancient cathedral and castle, the river Medway keeps her own secrets, as well as those of those who have chosen a different way of life, living on the river, like John Oliver in his tug, Hobbit.