Finding Father Christmas: A Novella

Robin Jones Gunn
FaithWords (2007)
ISBN 9780446526296
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (10/07)

“Finding Father Christmas” is written with an undercurrent of suspense, is rich in drama, and is lyrical in beauty. Robin Jones Gunn has masterfully developed a character, so real and believable that her story takes on the authenticity of autobiographical writing. Although the timetable of the story covers a timeframe of only two days, Miranda Carson’s lifetime of events, emotions, and reactions are dramatically relived in this dramatic novella.

Miranda Carson experienced emptiness in her life. She knew nothing of her father. Her only clues to his existence were a photograph, a birth certificate, and a playbill for a theatre in Michigan featuring her mother as Miranda in the play “The Tempest.”

Almost on impulse, Miranda booked a flight to London, for a few days over the Christmas holidays to pursue a search for her father. She had the location of a photo studio stamped on the back of a photo presumed to be her father, with an address on Bexley Lane in Carlton Heath, near London.

As a result of a cup of tea, a warm conversation, an evening at the theatre, a community party, and a late evening snowstorm Miranda found herself on an unexpected course that would forever change her life’s direction.

A reenactment of the play “The Christmas Carol,” the warmth and acceptance of family, and a Christmas morning service at the local church all play a part in Miranda’s willingness to open herself to change.

Gunn’s introduction of a background of classical writing and theatre add a unique depth to the narrative. Her vivid word pictures are picturesque and rich in beauty. The warmth of her characters exudes love, concern, and acceptance.

Poignant and heartwarming, “Finding Father Christmas” will resonate with anyone who has gone through childhood without one or both of their birth parents, or for anyone who has longed to know more of their heritage. This is a story that will become a classical family Christmas reading favorite.