The Christmas Stranger by Richard Paul Evans
Three years after losing his family in a Christmas Eve accident, grief-stricken Paul Wanlass hasn’t just given up on Christmas, he’s given up on life. He can’t imagine anything to keep him here—not his work as a computer repairman, not the residents in his Salt Lake City neighborhood, and certainly not the idea of connecting with someone new. When a stranger knocks on his door, claiming to be picking up a laptop, Paul allows him in—but discovers the man has a very different mission in mind.
Paul wakes the next morning unsure if his encounter with the stranger really happened or was just a dream–but when the stranger shows up again, Paul challenges him to give him just one reason to live. The stranger agrees to the challenge but warns Paul not to expect a path he would have guessed or chosen.
As the stranger promised, Paul’s life takes a wild and fateful turn. A robbery connects him with a woman who has also lost the love of her life, and, in a seemingly unrelated incident, Paul rescues a young boy from bullying, only to find the boy needs a different kind of rescue. The twists leave Paul wondering what these people have in common, and why they were brought together. Who—or what—really is this Christmas stranger, and how will Paul find meaning once again?
Review: This was a fast paced and moving read that follows Paul Wanlass, who lost his wife and only child on Christmas Eve. Three years later, Paul feels like there is nothing left to keep him going. But a knock on the door reveals a stranger who ultimately propels Paul on a path forward and a renewed reason to live. Just as the stranger promises him, his life begins to take unexpected and surprising turns. A robbery connects him to a woman who has also lost the love of his life. In another incident, Paul rescues a young boy from bullying and feels compelled to help the boy. Paul is left wondering why these events occurred and why he is being pulled towards these individuals.
This was a deeply spiritual book about leaning into faith that there is a greater plan than the one we can imagine for ourselves. Paul very much wants to die at the beginning of this book so he can be reunited with his wife and child. Instead, he finds a new reason to live and not at all in the way he probably would have chosen or designed himself. It was beautiful to see the story come together in the end.
The dialogue and relationship in this felt a bit stiff. And I don't want to reveal any spoilers, but it did seem difficult to believe that the different threads of the story would just happen to come together the way that it did in the end.
As far as Christmas books go, this one was so very sad but I do think many people experience grief and think about loss around the holidays so this would be relatable to many. It had such a great message and deeper meaning that was lovely to read.
Stars: 3.5
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