The Eight Hearbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer

Author Jean Meltzer, known for her beautiful uplifting stories about people who are surviving chronic illness, herself included, and how they endure by showing strength and toughness always trying to be uplifting even when met with pain, or in this case heartache. The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah is the epitome of the movie: It’s A Wonderful Life/A Christmas Carol. It has humor, mixed with a combination of sadness, grief, loss and yes, heartbreak, but more, it’s a story about strength, love and togetherness.

Evelyn Schwartz is producing a live TV showing of A Christmas Carol. With only a few days left until air everything which could go wrong, goes wrong! Evelyn is a workaholic who does not sleep and gets debilitating migraines. So, when she has an accident on the set, while having a migraine they call for the show medic who unfortunately is Evelyn’s ex-husband David who is substituting for the permanent medic.

They have been divorced for two years and the breakup for Evelyn was unexpected. David just up and left one day, saying nothing. So, you can imagine how that meeting went with David insisting Evelyn go to the hospital and telling David where he should go!

Because David knows Evelyn so well, he tries to tell her to at least get some rest and take her medicine. But Evelyn would rather die than do what David tells her. But then some crazy things begin to happen to her. She begins to be visited by ghosts…Hanukkah ghosts, the first being her former mentor who passed away years ago who informs Evelyn she must change her ways. But Evelyn believes this was a dream and she’s just exhausted.

Until she is visited by the first ghost named One. Who takes Evelyn down memory lane and it’s not great. As the snippets from each ghost get harder and harder to endure, she turns to David who seems to be predominantly placed in these visits from the past.

She begins to live the unlivable, including her losing David and what led up to that traumatic experience. Why is this happening and right now when her main focus is to put on a great show? She’s been able to suppress all these difficult memories for years. Why now are they being awakened?

The Eight Days of Hanukkah is a warm, sad and yes, heartbreaking story of loss and trauma, but not only is it filled with wonderful life lessons, more importantly, it is filled with hope, love and anticipation of what has yet to come by finally admitting that by understanding what you couldn’t because your own light had gone out you can realize just how to light the match to see again.

Thank you #NetGalley #Mira #JeanMeltzer #TheEightDaysofHanukkah for the advanced copy.