Book Title: Humbug: Scrooge Before the Ghosts
Author: Sarah Whelan
Publisher: Mascot Books
Narrator: Charles Robert Fox
Release Date: November 7, 2023
Pairing: MM
Tense/POV: First person, past tense
Genres: Historical
Tropes: Forbidden love
Themes: Prequel to classic story, redemption, recovery from loss
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 344 pages
Audiobook Length: 9 hours and 29 minutes
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
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In this retelling of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge recounts the defining moments of his life, revealing his love affair with business partner Jacob Marley, the reasons why he hates Christmas so much, and what turned him into the scowling, penny-pinching old man we think we know so well.
Blurb
A Christmas Carol shows us one terrible day in Ebenezer Scrooge’s life, but have you ever wondered what came before his fateful encounter with the ghosts of Christmas time? What happened to turn him into the scowling, penny-pinching old man we think we know so well?
There is so much more to this character—possibly more than Charles Dickens himself could ever have imagined.
Scrooge has compelling reasons for hating Christmas, for rejecting his fiancée and his precious nephew, and for employing Tiny Tim’s father, despite his obvious incompetence. He is a doting uncle, beloved brother, successful businessman, and passionate lover, but a dark secret puts both him and his loved ones at risk. Scrooge struggles to embrace his true self and live in defiance of the Victorian era’s repressive moral standards. Soul-crushing losses and his own destructive choices shape his fate into a twisted path of sorrow, frustration, and uncertainty—but also happiness, fulfillment, and love.
Scrooge’s own words sum it up best: “How delightfully queer life is.”
Setup: Scrooge is an apprentice attending his employer’s Christmas party.
The fiddler beamed, his one remaining tooth interrupting an otherwise gummy smile. He hoisted a pot of ale and drank it down in its entirety, filled his lungs with air, and set his chin on the instrument to begin again. I tapped my foot and bobbed my head in time with the music, but a pang of hunger reminded me I had not eaten since breakfast. I left Nick to watch the next dance by himself while I ventured to the refreshment table.
I saw him then, for the first time.
He was leaning against a support beam, a wineglass in one hand and a cigar in the other, talking with a lad I recognized as a servant from the Fezziwig household. He glanced my way, dismissed the boy with a nod, and turned toward me.
His lips barely parting, he grinned and tilted his head to look at me the same way Belle Fezziwig had earlier. He was older than me, I guessed, though perhaps not by much. Maybe ten years my senior? Regardless, he was a man of significance. From his meticulously styled hair to his navy tailcoat with turned-back cuffs and white cravat, everything about him supported this conclusion.
“Good evening, friend,” he said.
“The like to you, sir,” I replied with a bow.
The corners of his mouth curved downward. “You make me feel old. I am ‘friend’ or ‘mate,’ not ‘sir.’ At least I hope to be.”
“Of course. My apologies, s—” I stopped myself before the irksome word fully emerged. Afraid of offending again, as I often managed to do despite my best efforts to avoid it, I asked, “Do we know each other?”
“Sadly, we do not, but I am glad to make your acquaintance.” He switched his drink to the other hand, holding both it and the cigar at once. It was an impressive feat, in my opinion, and one he appeared well practiced in. With his empty hand, he shook mine. “I am Jacob Marley.”
I returned his smile and offered my own introduction. “Ebenezer Scrooge.”
“Well, Ebenezer, where are you heading? I fear you may be lost since the dancing is that way.” He pointed over my shoulder and sipped his wine, his mustache skimming the edge of the glass and the lit end of the cigar coming precariously close to his well-oiled hair.
I had no answer for him, having forgotten my intention, but I regained my bearings and formulated a sufficiently coherent response. “I am looking for the refreshments.”
“Let me be of service to you,” he said, gesturing toward the table behind him, which I myself had placed in the spot.
I chose drink instead of food and swallowed it down in gulps, enjoying the warmth of the sweetened brew as it traveled the distance from my lips to my empty stomach. Ladling another serving, I drank that one down as well, all the while sensing his gaze upon me. With my glass filled for the third time, I turned to find him standing close.
“I have not seen you speaking with any of the ladies,” he said. “Do they interest you?”
“They do not,” I replied. Such was the truth of the matter, though I did not understand the motivation for his inquiry.
“I see.” He nodded. A furrow etched in his brow, as if I had divulged a fact of great significance. “Will you dance nonetheless?”
Whether it was the drink or the unfamiliar, though not unwelcome, prickle spreading through my body, I was bold in my reply. “I shall. And you?”
He shook his head and shrugged. “I prefer to watch.”
I swallowed the contents of yet another glass and started toward the crowd. Belle Fezziwig took the position across from me, and I followed along as best I could, though my clumsiness resulted in the accidental squishing of more than one lady’s shoe. Amid the obligatory curtsying and spinning, my dance partner barraged me with sideways glances and eyelash flutters. I understood their meaning but was more intrigued by the attention being paid to me by another.
Jacob had assumed a perch at the perimeter of the dancing, like a hawk surveying the field for his next meal. He stared at me while alternating between sips of wine and inhales of his cigar, after which he puffed smoke in the air.
Unlike Scrooge, SARAH WHELAN loves Christmas: the decorations, the music, the traditions—everything. She is excited to make her own contribution to the holiday with a new twist on Charles Dickens’ classic tale. Sarah is a full-time professional writer, and her nonfiction has appeared in a variety of magazines. Her first novel, The Struggle Within, was published in 2018. She lives in Connecticut and loves spending time in her favorite city of Boston.
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About the Narrator
Charles Robert Fox is an experienced professional narrator, performer and general storytelling wizard. He has over 100 titles listed on Audible. Location: England, United Kingdom
