The Ornament Keeper by Eva Marie Everson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I read this new novella by Eva Marie Everson I could totally understand how a group of Christmas ornaments could play such an important role in this story. I often recall certain events from my life as I pull out my Christmas ornaments each year and Felicia is no different. Christmas 2018 finds her separated from her husband and she really has little desire to decorate a Christmas tree. It is her daughter who encourages her to pull out the ornaments and it is through these ornaments that we see the life that Felicia and Jackson once shared. He had given her an ornament for their first Christmas together and each Christmas that has followed and she has established the tradition of hanging each ornament in its same special place each year. As Felicia slowly decorates the tree we are offered glimpses of a very complicated marriage that now seems to be over. During one painful memory Felicia asks herself "Was he baiting me? I honestly couldn't tell, and I wasn't sure I knew him well enough anymore to know. Maybe I'd never known him at all. Maybe I'd spent the last twenty years of my life with a man I'd only gone through the motions with."

I must say that I found myself sometimes impatient with Felicia because her memories show a husband who was devoted to her and their children. It is only as she continues to peel back the layers that I realized why Felicia was both un-giving and unforgiving. She is probably like many women who have harbored feelings of low self-esteem and long felt resentment for the lost dreams that they have given up by choosing a marriage and family. It wasn't until Felicia realized this that she could finally understand why she had never felt satisfied and truly happy.

The Ornament Keeper gives us a view of a wife who has often doubted her husband's love and glimpses of the good man who has never loved or wanted anyone else. It is a compelling story of family traditions, treasured memories that are both good and bad and the ultimate understanding that forgiveness is a necessary element in all relationships. It also shows that forgiveness of one's self is just as important as being able to forgive others. Eva Marie Everson has written an entertaining and inspiring Christmas novella and I highly recommend it!

I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by JustRead Publicity Tours. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.

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