Gareth (Book)

Gareth is a 2022 novel written by Canadian Christian author Kimberly Rae Jordan.

The novel is the first in a new series of novels, under the series title The Halversons, featuring the Halverson family, comprised of a husband and wife who previously ran a family medical clinic in the fictional town of Serenity Point, Idaho. The couple (Cathy and Dan; their names were not revealed until Jaylen, the second book in the series) are the parents of ten children (both biological and adopted) and have semi-retired from their practice to concentrate on medical missionary work. Gareth was released in September 2022.

The titular character is the oldest of the couple's biological sons, who has followed his parents into the medical profession and is now the main doctor at the clinic. However, he frequently clashes with Jay (one of his adopted brothers, who works as the clinic's business manager) over how the clinic should run, frequently requiring Janessa (the clinic's nurse, and Jay's biological sister who was also adopted by the family) to intervene.

Plot[edit]

In the two plus years after her mother's passing from cancer, Sacramento resident Aria Jensen's life has been on a downward spiral. She was fired from her job as a nurse after arriving to work in an intoxicated state (though she did not harm any patients, the hospital had recently settled with a family after a similar incident resulted in a patient's death; however, she was not reported to the state nursing board, and thus has not lost her license). She then left the profession and rented a room from a couple, only to learn that her roommates were drug addicts.

After one exceptionally bad incident with the roommates, Aria decides she has had enough. She decides to accept a job offer extended to her by Janessa Halverson, a college roommate in nursing school, to become the receptionist at the Halverson family's medical clinic in Serenity Point. Although neither of Janessa's brothers want to hire her, due to the lack of suitable candidates (one of whom was trying to be rehired after being fired for inappropriate conduct) and solely on Janessa's recommendation they agree to do so. However, Aria has never told anyone why she was fired, nor did Janessa perform any sort of background check, which nearly results in disaster.

Aria arrives in Serenity Point and is greeted by Janessa, who agrees to rent a room at her house (which she co-owns with another sibling, Charli, who is the mother of the family's only grandchild, Layla) and introduces her to the rest of the family, and also invites her to a high school basketball game (where the youngest biological son, Cole, is a star player). Janessa also teaches Aria her roles and responsibilities at work.

But one person is threatened by Aria's presence: Nora, the female doctor at the clinic. Nora has repeatedly failed in her attempts at getting Gareth interested in her romantically. When Gareth starts to show interest in Aria, and the two ultimately begin dating, Nora takes it upon herself to check into Aria's background, where she learns why Aria was fired. She then sets a trap for Aria (asking her to give a shot to a baby) after which she anonymously blackmails her (threatening to expose the story if she doesn't leave town). Once Aria leaves town, Nora then provides the information to Gareth, who is unhappy both professionally (as he believes patients were potentially harmed) and personally (since Aria didn't tell him anything about the incident).

Aria meets up with Jasmine, owner of a rundown motel, who convinces her to at least return to Serenity Point and tell what happened. Jay tells the story to Mrs. Halverson, who decides to return to work at the clinic (and fire Nora in the process) as a means of convincing Aria not to leave again, but Gareth's initial cold response to Aria makes her realize that staying would be impossible. Only when Wade and Jackson (two of Gareth's closest friends who are part of his men's Bible study group) show Gareth that his pride was getting in the way, does the matter resolve itself: Gareth fully forgives Aria and the two resume their relationship.

In the Epilogue, Aria gets another of what has been a series of emails from a DNA testing service, emails that she has generally ignored (since her mother never wanted to talk about Aria's father) even though she contacted the firm first. Eventually she reads them and finds out that a gentleman named Micah Ross is claiming to be her half-brother (sharing the same father) and more surprisingly his and her mother had been in contact; only recently did he learn that Aria's mother had passed and wants to make sure she is OK.

On New Year's Eve the family gets together to celebrate the New Year, after which Gareth proposes to Aria and she accepts. Aria (who has now joined a women's Bible study of which Janessa and Charli are part) also tells Gareth that she will contact Micah.