This was a short book, but an interesting premise. The main character, Skip, tells the story. He was a successful up-and-coming lawyer, but he worked too much. His wife wanted him to stay home with her and their child on Christmas Eve, but he had an office Christmas party to attend, in order to shake more hands and make more impressions. While he was at the party his house catches fire and his wife and child are killed. Deep grief and guilt rob him of his ambition and focus, and before long he finds himself broke and homeless. He contemplates suicide, on Christmas eve, as penance for leaving his family to die. Through a series of seemingly random contacts with street people and soup kitchen folks, he travels from New York to Vermont where he will leap to his death from a small-town bridge, as many have done before on Christmas Eve. He finds the bridge and climbs it, ready to jump... I won't ruin it for you, but this ends up being a feel-good story of redemption and living a life of meaning. This was an amazingly touching story of a man at the brink of suicide. After Skip loses his wife and child he finds nothing left to live for and commits himself to being homeless on the streets. He decides to end it all on the one year anniversary of their deaths.Can anyone or anything change his mind? Does he really deserve to live? This feel-good story will story will answer that question and make your great swell. Pick it up and read it Christmas Eve (it's short).
What do You think about The Santa Shop (2000)?
Intriguing quick read. Helping others gain perspective when at their lowest in a very unique way.
—Emily
Hope between two covers and although some make it, some don't! Glad he made it!
—connordavisrobertson
