Having grown up in a small town in northern Indiana (these stories take place in Hohman, a fictionalized version of Hammond) in the early 60's, many of the stories resonate with me. Having read this book (and its counterpart "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories: And Other Disasters") several times, I have somewhat of a mixed response. My initial response is that the books are wonderful - In fact, I rated them five stars, and I'm giving copies to my two brothers and sister for Christmas. But my secondary response is that the books give me conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he makes some rather disparaging remarks about Hoosiers in general, and the people in his small town in particular. Several times, as he's looking back, he thinks about how close he came to being "one of the boys" that never escaped. On the other hand, in describing his life as a writer in New York, he sounds less than happy, complaining about the superficiality of his life there.
Yet amidst his disparaging remarks about his childhood, his sentimentality is so thick it could be spread on a slice of bread. Add some strawberry jam and you have a sandwich. I don't mean that in a bad way. On one level he obviously cherishes his memories, and is very glad to see his friend Flick. Most of the book involves the two of them thinking back about the times they had and the people they knew while Flick tends the bar he owns.
To reiterate, the stories operate on several levels. Primarily the book is sweetly reminiscent. Behind that there's some lingering dispirited aversion to the small-mindedness and poverty of his childhood hometown and state. But behind that there's a vein of cynicism about his current life in the big city.
His writing style is such that I laughed out loud on more than one occasion - and I'm not very demonstrative. Shepherd is a great humorist and is able to capture both the innocence and bitter tang of having grown up during the depression, or in the sparse times just after the depression.
It's important to know that most of the stories were originally published in a magazine (Playboy). This is not a novel - it's a collection of stories. If you've seen A Christmas Story, you should know that he wrote the screenplay and is also the narrator. Supposedly, during the filming the cast had a great time EXCEPT when he was on the set, where they found him to be a grumpy old man. There are some differences between the book and the movie - in the book, for example, it's the holiday ham that's stolen by the Bumpus dogs, not a holiday turkey. But for the most part, if you like the movie, you'll love the book (and the counterpart).
I know I'll be reading these books over and over, and I hope that my brothers and sisters enjoy them as gifts. Recommended very highly.
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It’s a major award
Amazing book. If you’re a A Christmas Story movie lover you will really enjoy this book.
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Top reviews from other countries
LUISFE
Si quieres leer de donde salió A Christmas story, cómpralo
Reviewed in Mexico on January 18, 2023
Niloc
Great book if you are a fan of the movie a Christmas story
Reviewed in Canada on June 28, 2020