Mr. Ives' Christmas

In 1960s New York, Edward Ives is a picture of the American dream. Adopted as a child by a widowed print shop manager, who helped him cultivate a love of drawing, he now has a successful career as an illustrator in advertising, a beautiful home with his wife and muse, Annie, and two loving children. But this idyllic life is brutally wrenched away when Ives's 17-year-old son, Robert--who has just decided to commit his life to the priesthood--is murdered by another teenage boy just before Christmas, a crime of opportunity that proves to be as random as it is senseless.

Consumed by grief, Ives withdraws from the world. Grappling with a loss of faith--a force that has guided him steadfastly since childhood--he starts to question every aspect of human existence, contemplating what it really means to live an emotionally and spiritually fulfilling life. This mourning consumes him--until he takes on the monumental task of working through his suffering, and ultimately faces his son's killer.

Mr. Ives' Christmas is a tender, passionate story of a man working to rediscover what it means to love, forgive, and live after unspeakable tragedy. It is another tremendous achievement from one of America's most talented writers.

Includes a Reading Group Guide.