Rubrum: A novel retelling of A CHRISTMAS CAROL

by Keith Eldred

In this radical remix of A CHRISTMAS CAROL—as in the original classic—a stubborn loner receives an otherworldly summons and fears for a child he has never met. Everything else is updated and scrambled.Evan Easter works alone on transmissions, shunning everyone except customers, suppliers and a few family members who come around to make sure he hasn’t died yet. From his youth linger whispers of cruelty by his father, Jake, yet Evan mysteriously left school to spend years working at Jake’s side.

Those closest to Evan know of his enormous generosity, his guilt over an accident long past, and the loss that nearly drove him mad. But only Evan knows how his life’s tragedies connect, what severed him from the person he loved the most, and the dire premonition he cannot escape.

His carefully-maintained isolation is shattered when the radio brings him voices silenced long ago and he receives a visitor who cannot possibly walk the earth. Summoned to spots tied to his darkest moments and forced outside his shell for the sake of a soul in peril, Evan must decide whether to drive into the unknown and draw on deadly capabilities born of a lifelong fight to survive.

337 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2015

About the author

Keith Eldred created the THIS IS RED project with his wife Janet, a public library director diagnosed with early-stage dementia. With Janet's condition making every day precious, they decided to make the most of 2020, the year of their 30th anniversary, by publishing 20 books. All profits from these titles go the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library, where Janet works. See more at www.thisis.red.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many authors have written what are deemed “retellings” of fairy tales. Instead, Keith Eldred chose to write a “retelling” of a well-known classic Christmas story, A Christmas Carol. Mr. Eldred has created a more modern setting.

Evan Easter is a loner with an abusive past. He is a loner who receives a visitor who hasn’t walked the earth in years, as well as a couple other visitors from beyond the grave. He also receives a summons that causes him to fear for a child he has never met.

Keith Eldred writes in the style of the classic authors, and in Rubrum, he moves the reader back and forth from present to past and back again, and occasionally hops from one character’s head to another’s without warning. Evan Easter is a very likeable character who gains the reader’s sympathy from the start. Mr. Eldred gives a very clear picture of Evan’s life, both past and present, which, at times, seems draw the story out. Evan’s life is filled with hurt, misery, and loneliness, but he has chosen the loneliness.

Despite his tragic, lonely life, Evan has a very caring heart, so when he is summoned and told of a situation in the life of a child he has never met, he fears for the child. Evan is a man of great and deep thought. He thinks long and hard about everything before he chooses whether or not to act.

Rubrum is the story of a likeable character, and though the ending isn’t really sad, readers who want happy endings may be disappointed. But whether you want a happy ending or can be satisfied with an ending that isn’t really sad, Rubrum is worth reading just to get to know Evan Easter because he’s a remarkable character that everyone can relate to in one way or another, and he has a message for all of us.

Rubrum is different from any other book I have ever read, and Evan Easter will live long in my memory. Rubrum’s genre is listed as Psychological Literary Fiction. And though it’s very different from A Christmas Carol, I believe Evan and Scrooge may have some things in common. However, I believe Keith Eldred gives us a much deeper psychological look at Evan Easter than Charles Dickens offered of Scrooge.

If you are a reader who likes unique characters and stories that will give you things to think about long after you turn the last page and close the book, I suggest you read Rubrum by Keith Eldred.

I give Rubrum by Keith Eldred 4 stars.

[Lisa Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books is excellent! It starts out rather simply - describing the day-to-day life of a working class guy, a loner. But you soon realize that there is a lot more going on in the main character's heart and mind. Beautiful portrayal of what lurks beneath the surface ... and the good and evil that all people can do. I loved every minute of it... one of those books that you just can't put down!