This is an author I have heard of but never really picked up a book of. When I saw that a reprint was to be out (last year), I got myself an advance copy. I obviously did not read it in time for the season, but given the year and few months we have been having, I do not think it makes much of a difference.
This is a collection of stories, something I did not expect (having not remembered the blurb), and it took me a while to acclimatize myself to the format. Most of them are supposed to be autobiographical, but the last two did not make much sense, moving to a different character. The first was heart-felt and felt like the narrations of a child. This does not often come through when the child in question is a precocious one. In this particular set of collections, there is no doubt of the innocence and emotions of a child trying to figure out his world.
There are multiple Christmassy situations, each with a different plotline and overall an easy read. I liked the flow and would have read it faster if not for the random story slipped in into the end. There are sad undertones to Buddy’s life, but that is more visible to us as readers and not to the child experiencing them. The focus is on other things, things more important to him. I liked this experiment and would recommend it as a not-so-light read.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Superfluous Reading 