Peace In The Margins

“Skipping Christmas. What a ridiculous idea. Maybe next year.”

John Grisham has world-wide acclaim as one of the best legal thriller authors in America, but that didn’t stop him from a slight derailment into – can we call it – comedy. So, before I get to far along in this brief review of this short tale, let me preface with: “I have not seen the movie.”  Yes, there’s a movie, although unless you’ve read the book, you might not recognize the title of the movie – Christmas with the Kranks. 

Skipping Christmas was cute, brief, and predictable. Think Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation meets Dan Ackroyd’s Neighbors. Maybe that’s a bit extreme, because those movies were more interesting to watch than Grisham’s Skipping Christmas was to read. 

In a nutshell, the Kranks are facing empty nesting for the first time, and low and behold, it just happens to be Christmas. A time when Nora Krank is normally a cut above the rest in the festivities, and neighbors ooo and awe at her inspiring holiday attributes and activities.

“For her, the holidays began in late October and steadily gathered momentum until the big bang, a ten-hour marathon on Christmas Day with four meals and a packed house.”

But this year, Luther Krank wanted something different. He proposes to skip Christmas and take a cruise instead. From turning away the annual party-going participations to a tanning bed subscription, he has his focus laser sharp on one thing – declining to participate in Christmas and taking a fabulous cruise. As you can guess, the plan begins to ravel.

While this tale takes a more heart-string pulling perspective than say Christmas Vacation, the cozy Christmas sentiment remains – family and friends are at the heart of the holidays. 

So, was it worth the read. Yes, especially if you’re a Grisham fan. A little off the beaten path of his expected style, but Grisham nonetheless. Go ahead, you won’t be blown away by the plot, but hey, it only takes a few hours to plow through this easy read. 

Until Next Time, 

Alicia