Well, what can one say about such a suggestive title, hahahahaahaha, in this jolly, happy season? Hahahahahahahaha, and do pay attention to the titles because they are a big part of the story and of the feeling of the whole book and, I assure you, that it’s something you don’t want to miss, specially if Christmas is your favourite holiday season, and/or you love Christmas movies. Nice.
Ann Charles packs some serious, priceless humour, both in the titles of her collections and in the narrative and a very pleasant read awaits us on this short-story, part of the Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series
Crazy skeleton illustrations, and warnings, welcome you to this read and it’s hilarious, so prepare for the illogically quirky and funny narrative and descriptions of Ann Charles, hahahahaha. We will tell you this: the phrase “what the hell?” will be constantly on the back of your mind, and the smile on your face will stay for so long that it will start to hurt. Hahahaahahahaha, oh man this is funny!
So, this book, this chapter of the series, focuses on the theme of divorce and marital issues, mixed with an insanely crazy, odd and humorous family dynamics with some thriller and suspense spice. We have the mother, Deborah, going through the divorce and re-marrying processes, while her daughters are getting married, pregnant or even avoiding commitment like the devil avoids holy water, and the fact that it starts with all of them having a “belated bachelorette” celebration at a strip club, does not help to decrease the weirdness of the story, specially when there are grinches and santa’s all around.
Curious is how Ann Charles made de dynamics of these women and you can clearly see what is happening as mother and daughters take “sweet jabs” at each other, challenge each other to drink themselves to forgetfulness, or a comma, and then… bind themselves with and ride their mother like a bull? Yes, this is the vein of weirdness and humour on this book, and it’s gold, I tell ya. Be prepared for puns, analogies and words combinations like “booger sugar”, “moneymakers”, and “Pregosaurus Rex” for reasons that logic cannot explain.
Things only get wilder as the pages grow and the other characters start to get some action going in the book as well, and by action I mean conflicts with exes, – Ex-husbands, Ex-wives and Ex-Boyfriends – and secrets being tossed to the wall like spaghetti while some loudmouths run away from them as fast as they can, lol. Everyone has a place and a deep hand inside the chaos of this delightful story that guarantees laughter at every other paragraph.
Nasty surprises and drunken regrets will make this even more interesting and about to blow up to the skies as “accidents” playout in an impossible and jaw dropping way and it seems that alcohol was the potion of all of the disasters, while there’s the growing mystery of the obsidian knife that might, miiiiight be a curse inducing object, as if this family didn’t have enough troubles on their own, add missing panties, a missing drunk mother and… pregnancy to that and you can start to imagine the size of picture. This novella is a gem, hahahhahhahaha.
Of course, this book isn’t just lols, fun and cognac drunken games on a strip club, and a lot of tying up, but it’s also, as we said before, about divorce and the struggles, needs and internal issues of divorced people, told in an understanding and emotional way, glittered with a lot of sarcasm and jokes, yet, not less serious about the situation. It’s nice to read a book that actively shows the struggles of divorced women and not just mention or simply “brush” the concept of getting and/or being divorced. It’s enlightening really.
If you are a fan of classic Christmas movies, and songs, you will ADORE this book, although this is the 4th book of the series, you can read this book without reading the others and you will want to read the other books, all of them after reading this*, or you can just get to read this inviting series from the start, and you will LOVE it all the way.
This book is VERY well written, and the chapters of the series, the novellas, are short enough for you to read in one sitting, in around an hour or two, and this is a series that you want to read, specially if you are feeling down or just wanting to have a merry ol’time for no reason.
Pros:
- Insane humor infused in the characters, in the narrative AND in the story itself
- Incredible and quirky, very odd characters that have singular personalities that make them super extra original
- Great narrative, simply great. No problems whatsoever, the whole experience is flawless narrative-wise
- A story that invites you to keep flipping the pages
- The romance was very well put, in all of the senses
- The main message about divorce was well given, very well integrated on the story
- The family conflicts were VERY well put in each and every character as per their roles and their past
- The emotional conflicts and struggles were very well illustrated and makes the reader think between laughs, very nice
- The Christmas, and nudie spirit touched the ears and brains of the readers, because the imagery was too strong, and at times, not so merry
Cons:
- We didn’t have enough skeleton illustrations, hahahahaaahahaha, great book
Scribble's Worth 