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Edward Brash is a man who plenty of people can relate to, especially when it comes to mixed feelings towards the holiday season and regret. Siciliano has crafted a somber and thoughtful story about how one's past can affect one's future for better or worse. Brash is a man who lives in solitude, but when he meets Kleo, that all changes. Kleo is actually one of his employees. She, like Edward, has a tragic history. She has dealt with losses in her family. The two are used to their ways and learn slowly what it's like to love and hope again. It's fate that brings them together, but it's their past pain that keeps them that way. The central theme is that, while things sometimes don't turn out the way they should, they do get better.
Siciliano writes with such skill that even everyday things, like Brash eating cornflakes for breakfast, become fantastical character traits. This may be a short book, but it is not short of drama and lovable but broken characters. The author has crafted a heavy story, but it is worth it to get to the end. Given the holiday setting and the character's wealth, one can see a similarity to Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol." Not to say that Edward is like Scrooge, but what is similar is that both characters are bitter about how things turned out in their lives. The choices they made affected their future. Siciliano does well at expanding these themes and creating a memorable story. His writing is clear and concise. In the end, this is a superb tearjerker with an unforgettable title.