Josh Wilborn, Charger Staff
What a way to start the holidays - skipping them. Imagine it: no mall mobs, no debts piling up, no obligatory donations to the Police Station for some awful calendar, and NO fruitcakes! Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham, is a very interesting look into the absurd trappings of Christmas.
This is the very thing Luther, the book’s protagonist, and his wife Nora, a compulsive volunteer worker, decided to do. Luther’s daughter, Blaire, is leaving to serve on Peace Corps in Peru.
Luther will be spending his first Christmas away from his daughter, giving him even more reason just to sidestep the overrated holiday altogether. Just skip it all. Reviewing previous expenses of this “merry madness,” Luther decides to closely examine the wallet thieving nature of the holiday season.
Not only are they saving money, but they are putting that money toward a cruise to the Carribeans.
The book is set in the upper middle class suburbs and revolves around the hodge podge of St. Nicks Day, and how neighbors react toward Luther’s and Nora’s decision to skip Christmas this year.
Some would call Luther a genius, some would call him scrooge, I say he's depicted as a bit of both in the story. He is being rather stingy, but this is obviously a somewhat brilliant thing to do.
Though different from his normal writings, Grisham is still a superb writer; his description of small community holiday rivalry is hilarious and hits home.
Characters are so well depicted you may wonder if they interviewed one of your “Chrismaholic” friends.
It’s a short read and fast paced, stays interesting and has a cheery, maybe a little cheesy, ending.
This book really makes you ask yourself why so much glamour and fame is put into Christmas. I give this book a 9 out of 10.
It needed a little more depth, but it is still well worth the money. It will
surely be one that you pass around to all your “good book patron pals.”
Read it with an open mind, but be cautious: your parents might end up skipping
those new shoes or that Playstation this Christmas.
Article prepared for web by Curtis Cooper
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