Mr. Ives, I am not ready to let you go.

What began as a sluggish read for me, with an irritating excess of commas, ultimately transformed into an appreciation for the author's achievement here. At first, I was nearly prepared to abandon this due to all the commas the author was employing. It truly hindered my progress. Then there was the utilization of lists. If the author intended to disclose what was in Mr. Ives’ basement, you would receive the entire inventory. If he was discussing the churches near Mr. Ives’ house, you’d obtain a comprehensive list of them. This persisted throughout the book. I'm uncertain if these lists were utilized to bestow authenticity upon the book, but after a while, I grew accustomed to them, feeling as if I were a spectator observing Mr. Ives through a snow globe. I was able to fully immerse myself in Mr. Ives’ life.

And what a life of tranquility and peace Mr. Ives led. That is all shattered when his son is slain right before Christmas. Suddenly, his life appears to lose all significance. And it is heart-wrenching to witness it unfold. Mr. Ives is an adopted child who has never truly felt a sense of belonging. Something always seems amiss in his life, yet one thing he has always possessed is faith in God. His adoptive father would take him to church, and Mr. Ives continued this with his own children. However, the tragic event of his son's murder never causes him to deviate from his faith, nor does it alter his peaceful disposition. What it does is undermine him, and he mourns his loss for decades. He seems to become a spectator of everything occurring around him because life progresses for everyone else, but not for him. It is a sadness that you can comprehend, yet Mr. Ives is such a wonderful person that you can't help but hope that something will rejuvenate him, that he will once again become a participant in his life.

I adore how exquisitely the author depicted Mr. Ives’ faith, how he did not lose his faith despite his tragedy. I loved all the individuals who entered Mr. Ives’ life. And we experience a complete lifetime within such a concise book. I was astounded by how proficiently the author managed to achieve this. He was able to precisely convey who Mr. Ives was through the events in his life, through the people he encountered. Everything in this book comes full circle; every minor incident, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is intertwined with the story and is crucial to the story and its authentic feel, including those lists I initially complained about.

This book is sorrowful, at times overwhelmingly so, but it is also uplifting, yet never in a manipulative manner. It is simply the story of Mr. Ives and his faith, his tragedy, and his life. If faith is not to your taste, then perhaps it will strike you as manipulative, but if not, then you will wish that there were more individuals like Mr. Ives in the world, and you’ll desire to safeguard them from harm. I will miss Mr. Ives, longing for the possibility that he somehow existed within my own snow globe.

I wouldn't have discovered this exquisitely beautiful, heart-wrenching yet uplifting story had I not come across Elyse's review. And perhaps I wouldn't have delved into it if it weren't for Steve's review either. When I read Steve's review, I was truly stunned. Not only was it as beautiful, sad, inspiring, and uplifting as the novel itself, but I also felt an instant connection with Steve and his loss. My family and I too had endured the loss of a loved one due to a violent act. Many years ago, my 22-year-old brother fell victim to a robbery. So, of course, I felt a bond with Steve, but I also felt a connection with Mr. Ives. However, the most clear and profound connection for me in this story was the similarity I saw between Mr. Ives and my mother. Both had lost a child, and both were strong in their faith.

This was not an easy book for me to read. After losing his son, Edward Ives says, "You know what it is like? It was like drowning." I knew that feeling all too well. I kept wondering how impossible it would be for me to be objective while reading this book, but then it dawned on me that none of us really are. Reading a book is such a personal experience that we can't help but bring who we are and what we've gone through to the words on the page.

We get to know Edward Ives through a third-person narrative, yet it feels immediately intimate. As the story weaves between the past and the present, we become privy to his thoughts and feelings. I loved Edward Ives from the start. An orphan, a foundling, he is so grateful for what he has been given in his later life. His religion and his belief in God are evident even as a young boy, and there is a certain sadness about him, despite being adopted into a comfortable home with support and love. In spite of the sadness I saw in him, he is so grateful for what he has and gives back throughout the story until the very end. While he is sad and introverted, he manages to make his way and follow his dreams. I loved that he loved gangster movies and girls, and that he falls in love with and marries Annie. Annie carries her own burden of sadness as a child, and of course, losing Robert and then losing a part of Edward. My heart broke for her too. I loved the connection that Ives has with his very good friend Ramirez. Perhaps a nod to his Cuban descent, Oscar Hijuelos depicts Ives, who doesn't know his mother and father, as being perhaps Cuban or Latino. In any event, he wants to learn Spanish. He endearingly calls his son Roberto, and Ramirez is his best friend.
I thought the title should have been Mr. Ives' Christmases. All of the life-changing events in his life occur around Christmas. He is adopted around Christmas; he connects with Annie around Christmas, and they get married around Christmas. Not all of these Christmas events are happy ones. He buries his son on a Christmas Eve.
I have to admit that I am not, and don't know if I'll ever be, at that place where forgiveness fills part of the void of losing my brother. Our family not only lost my brother but, for many years, we also lost the fun-loving, good-natured, always laughing woman that my mother was, as far back as I can remember. She eventually came around after years and was able to watch TV, listen to music, and celebrate holidays, but she was forever changed. She'll be 90 next month, and my sister and I do for her whatever she needs, as she did for us, but she's still broken-hearted after all these years. For that, my forgiveness is hard to come by. Even if I can't yet find that forgiveness, I agree with Steve when he says, "Let us agree to be kind to each other despite our differences." We need that sentiment now more than ever.
Do yourself a favor and read Steve's https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... More importantly, read this book because you don't have to have experienced the loss of a loved one. You don't have to be Catholic, and you don't have to believe in miracles. The real miracle is in the shared bond of humanity that the reader has with Edward Ives, sharing his grief, love, and sadness that are part of the human condition. I don't know if I'll read it every year at Christmas time like Steve does, but I'm certain that I will read it again sometime.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people. This is not only a plot in a book but also a cruel reality that Steve has experienced in his life. Just look at what happened in San Bernadino a few days ago. Tragedies like this can strike anyone, whether it's me or you.

This beautiful world we live in has an element of chaos, perhaps even madness, that can be truly devastating and knock us all the way down.

So, how does one come to terms with losing the love of their life and cope with the sheer senselessness of it all? Mr. Ives' Christmas delves into this profound subject. When his son's life was taken, Mr. Ives' life changed forever. His mind constantly replays and revisits the tragic event. Although he has tremendous support from his family and friends, it doesn't truly heal his broken heart. This book takes us on an inward journey that eventually leads to a shift and a path towards healing.

It's a well-written book that many can relate to. It's not a depressing read that one should avoid. Quite the contrary, it shows both the high road and the low road. It reveals how the mind works and how a shift can occur. Mr. Ives' mind was so consumed with thoughts of the loss of his son that the good memories and happy times struggled to come through, taking a toll on him. But then a crack appears, and it's enough to start him on a different path. Oh, this is an excellent book.

Thank you, Steve. I know you're on a good path. There's so much to learn from this story.