by Paul Lynch
First published 2017
Jimmy Hendricks works at a toy factory in Hopeville, a town where despair outweighs its promising name. At thirty-five, he lives with his wife Kathrine and eleven-year-old daughter Jessica, dreaming of owning a home by Christmas. When the toy factory goes bankrupt and closes, Jimmy faces mounting bills with little income. He searches for work while Kathrine takes a job as a social worker at a shelter across town. Jimmy encounters his former high school friend Bobby Daniels begging on the streets in tattered clothes. Bobby had been brilliant in school, but circumstances led him to homelessness. Jimmy buys Bobby a burger and coffee at a downtown restaurant. On a bus ride together, they meet Miss Peterson, an African American woman who lives in a large apartment complex and needs plumbing and gardening work done. The chance encounter offers both men an opportunity for employment. Jimmy's struggles culminate when he solves the mystery of a missing Nativity Scene, earning recognition from the town mayor who rewards him with a house, fulfilling his Christmas dream without having to purchase one.
Genres: fiction, family-life, contemporary, social-issues
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Hopeville, Toy Factory
Period: Christmas
76 pages · Paperback · Createspace Independent Publishing Platform