The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan (2021)

This is the story of 2 sisters, one a happily married lawyer with 3 kids and another on the way, the other a single department clerk still living with her parents. 

Carmen Hogan has always felt overshadowed by her older sister, Sofia. Sofia excelled in school, became a successful lawyer, and lives a perfect life in Edinburgh with her handsome lawyer husband and their three children. Carmen, on the other hand, did not go to university, is not thriving professionally, is boyfriendless and still living in the small town where they grew up. She’s recently unemployed and dodging her mother's questions about Christmas. For heaven's sake, it's still summer! 

When their mother asks Sofia to help Carmen, Sofia thinks of a client in need. Mr. McCredie owns a bookshop that is failing spectacularly due to neglect. Mr. McCredie is more interested in finding literary treasures than actually selling books. His stock is mostly obscure tomes covered in thick dust. Unless he can show a profit by Christmas, he will lose everything. Carmen, with her department store experience, might be able to turn the business around.

Carmen reluctantly agrees because she needs a job. Sofia gives Carmen one of the rooms in the basement, next to Skylar, the annoying condescending nanny obsessed with meditation and self-actualization. Skylar is officious and annoying, but she's good with the kids and Sofia finds her regimens helpful, even if she does go to a lot of classes. Carmen bonds quickly with the kids: Pippa, the eldest sister with a tendency to purse her lips in disapproval and report on her siblings’ transgressions; Jack, who wants to know the point of things; and Phoebe, a slightly unkempt, timid preschooler. Carmen shares a special kinship with Phoebe, a slightly imperfect younger sister of a perfect older sister.

It’s set in the older part of Edinburgh which brought back wonderful memories of my time in Edinburgh. Detailed descriptions of quirky shops, charming streets, the huge Ormiston yew, bitterly cold weather, and the camaraderie of the memorable shopkeepers. Mr. McCredie spends most of his time in the back avoiding people. The stock sits disorganized and there’s not a hint of Christmas to draw customers in. We witness Carmen finding her niche, making the shop a success, and building connections with the denizens, especially Oke, a university lecturer who doesn't have a proper winter coat. (The narrator makes a bizarre attempt at a Brazilian accent which sounds more African. It’s terrible.) There’s also Blair, a mega-successful self-help guru with very white teeth. After discovering that Carmen is immune to his charm and won’t sell his secrets, Blair drops his persona and inhabits his spoiled, whiny personality.  

One of the best parts of the story is the children. During the shop’s first read-aloud, Carmen reads “The Little Match Girl,” not remembering that the girl dies at the end. The read-aloud is well attended by mothers from Sofia’s mommy group, which makes things even more uncomfortable when the children take umbrage with the ending and start to cry. The book doesn’t have any better fairytales (*The Snow Queen* has shards of ice impaling people's eyeballs). Carmen is sure the event has bombed until one of the boys says he’ll see her next week and a little girl declares the book her favorite ever because 'sometimes they need to see the dark realities of life.' Pippa is quick to correct everyone, Jack is always practical, and Phoebe blooms as Carmen sneaks in chocolate and gets Sofia to lighten up. I loved when Carmen helps Phoebe overcome her stage fright by telling her to sing to Carmen because the audience all sucks. Phoebe then sings the loudest. 

The other best thing is the sisters’ relationship. Throughout the book, they air their grievances and bond as they realize their mutual feelings of jealousy and greener-grass syndrome. Carmen becomes an integral part of the family and when the nanny issues can no longer be ignored, Sofia doesn’t worry because Carmen will be there. This evolution in their relationship is realistic and becomes one you love spending time with. 

There’s lovely, metaphorical phrasing like "Carmen measured her days in books." The world Colgan creates is one that you want to visit and be a part of. At the heart of story is the connections between the characters and family we (and Carmen) find, that we make with others and the reality that we don't have just the family we were born into; we also have the
family that we create through those we come to love. 

4/5 stars