I read Running With Scissors and was immediately enamoured with this author. His current book of stories around Christmas is short but enjoyable. My favorites though are the early stories regarding his demented childhood Christmases involving, in no particular order, a canibalized wax Santa, a gingerbread slum made with allspice and coffee and the pony named Al Capone. I was reading part of this in a coffeeshop and attracted some attention from bursting out loud with laughter...upsetting the Glib and Stale readers pouring over their news fix.
The later stories are darker and show how his alcoholism was out of control. The one night stand with Santa was hilarious because of his inability to escape images of Saint Nic at every turn thus reminding him anew of the night from hell. His interaction with Shirley is perfect - perhaps too perfect I wondered and then decided that sometimes artistic events do happen in the real world too. The last story had this new home owner cringing with sympathy.
I'd rate it 4 out of 5.
Source of this copy: library
Would I buy it? Yes
Source of this copy: library
Would I buy it? Yes
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