Finished Su 2/2/2020
This is a trade paperback that Janny loaned to me.
In the Author's Notes Berg said that the working title (before she had even fleshed out the story line) was..."Griffin As Claus". She new that it would be about a man who would learn to be Santa. And, she never really new how the relationship would end up until the very end. She just follows the characters' trajectories and reports wherever they go.
It's a wonderful story of a man who is blindsided when his wife asks for a separation. They live in Oak Park, IL and have an eight year old daughter.
The story is told from Frank's point of view.
Frank Griffin- (He goes by 'Griffin') He's a white collar professional. His secretary is Evelyn and she is a celibate woman in her fifties. Her fiance was killed in a car accident when they were nineteen and she's lived alone since then. Frank had been her employer for years and the separation made him ask about her personal life. He was just a little too complacent about the way things were, and this threat of divorce forces him to wake up.
Ellen Griffin- A little eccentric, inordinately shy, and was a stay at home mom and begins to realize that life is passing her by. She enrolled in a course about car repair and met a man, Peter. and this encounter awakened romantic feelings in her that she had only read about.
Zoey- A cute, funny eight year old girl that is bewildered by her parents' breakup, but is very believable in her responses. She might be one of my favorite depictions of a real kid that I've ever read. I just loved her!
Frank meets a woman who photographs children sitting on Santa's knee in a local mall. Frank takes a job as a Santa- partially because he's bored and wants something to do when Ellen goes out, and also he is attracted to Donna, the photographer.
The 'Santa Seminar' where Frank learns how to deal with the kids was my favorite part of the novel. Kids ask if Santa can bring a loved one back to life. They might ask for a new house if they had recently lost their home. What is Mrs. Claus's first name...."We've been married for hundreds of years and even I don't remember".
Although it never came up, I thought one of the most asked question would be how come there are so many Santas. Every mall has a Santa, and sometimes Santas are on various street corners.
Donna and Frank attempt to have sex but Frank is not ready. Donna has been divorced for a couple of years and Frank is her first sexual encounter after her breakup.
Ellen wants Frank to leave the house, but he refuses and she gets a small apartment and a job in a waffle house.
In the end, Frank prevails and realizes that he must change and allow Ellen to grow. But they both seem to feel that Zoe needs them more than anything.
Peter gave Ellen a puppy and she accepted for Zoe. Zoey loves it and Frank realizes that this is best for his daughter- A pet is something that she can love and care for.
"Berg's novels are high-quality comfort food, and sell accordingly".
Janny loaned me several more by Elizabeth Berg and I can't wait to begin another novel by her.
The books page at GoodRead:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246128.Say_When
No comments:
Post a Comment