Hijuelos' novel tells the story of Mr. Ives, who was adopted from a foundling home as a child. When we first meet him in the 1950s, Mr. Ives is very much a product of his time. He has a successful career in advertising, a wife and two children, and believes he is on his way to pursuing a typical American dream. But the dream is shattered when his son Robert, who is studying for the priesthood, is killed violently at Christmas. Overwhelmed by grief and threatened by a loss of faith in humankind, Mr. Ives begins to question the very foundations of his life. aPart love story-of a man for his wife, for his children, for God-and part meditation on how a person can find spiritual peace in the midst of crisis, Mr. Ives' Christmas is a tender and passionate story of a man trying to put his life in perspective. | Mr. Ives' Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos, Paperback | Indigo Chapters