Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: A Very Genre Christmas
AUTHOR: Kim Fielding
PUBLISHER: Tin Box Press
LENGTH: 115 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 7, 2021
BLURB:
Very little is merry in a private dick’s world.
Private detective Nick Bozic works the mean streets of 1950s Portland, Oregon, shadowing unfaithful spouses and nabbing thieving employees. He may be lonely, but at least he’s not crooked. Despite the festive season, Christmas simply means less dough in his pocket.
With the holiday only a few days away, a regular client drops a new case on him: yet another being has come through the Rift and needs help finding his way home. Maybe Evindal the elf will help Nick find something too—a bit of cheer and magic amid the usual brew of corruption and betrayal.
REVIEW:
Christmas came early this year when I received this darling holiday novella. A Very Genre Christmas is a whimsical, historical romance set in Portland, Oregon, in 1954. It features an unlikely pair – a lonely private detective and a cheery Christmas elf. The plot is clever: nobody knows why, but every so often a rift occurs underneath a bookstore. It’s a shift, something like an earthquake but non-intrusive, and when it happens, people or beings from other times or places appear in the bookstore. As a detective, Nick is paid by the city to figure out how to get these beings back to where they belong. Among those who have materialized have been a man-sized cat, a vampire, a giant bug, and this time, a sweet Christmas elf named Evindal.
Nick leads a dull and dreary life consisting mainly of work, the neighborhood bar, whiskey, and cigarettes. He has no family and few friends. When he’s around Evindal, his black and white life becomes Technicolor. Nick spends his days with Evindal trying to help him find his way back home. They visit places that might be close to his heart or remind him of home: toy stores, bakeries, department store Santa Lands, and so on, but to no avail. As the days pass and man and elf get to know each other, Nick finds Evindal to be charming, beautiful, and kind. His own outlook begins to change.
Because his life has been limited to the North Pole, Evindal finds pleasure in all the novel things he’s never experienced before. He’s enthralled by rain, the vast view of the ocean, and tall buildings. His effervescence begins to have a big effect on Nick. Around Evindal, he perceives the world as brighter, prettier, and more colorful. Life is fuller and more worthwhile with someone like his elf to share it with.
Both Nick and Evindal know their time together is limited, though, and could end suddenly, at any time. It’s Christmastime and Evindal is needed back at the North Pole where he decorates toys. Nick is frustrated that he can’t find a way for Evindal to return to where he is loved and needed, but he’s sad he will no longer have the precious elf in his life. In fact, he’ll have no way to ever see him again.
This is an imaginative story, from the concept to the people and creatures who come through the rift, to Evindal’s attire and awestruck personality. They’re about as opposite as you can imagine – the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pair – but they make it work. Nick’s growth arc is heartening. Evindal makes him feel young, silly, and happy. By the conclusion, Nick sees the world differently and is ready to reprioritize his life. He’s changed from someone who has never truly celebrated and enjoyed Christmas – he didn’t know how! – to shacking up with an elf and embracing the holiday spirit. He decides to do what he loves, what gives him pleasure, rather than continuing to just exist. And, he learns to love.
Very Genre Christmas is a delight that I’m so glad I came across. I highly recommend.
RATING: 
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