A Christmas Memory -- Richard Paul Evans

<b>From the #1 <i>New York Times </i>bestselling author of <i>The Christmas Box</i> and the Noel Collection comes <i>A Christmas Memory</i>, a poignant, deeply felt novel about loss, grief, the healing power of forgiveness, and the true meaning of the holiday season.</b></b> <p/>It's 1967, and for young Richard it's a time of heartbreak and turmoil. Over the span of a few months, his brother, Mark, is killed in Vietnam; his father loses his job and moves the family from California to his grandmother's abandoned home in Utah; and his parents make the painful decision to separate. <p/>With uncertainty rattling every corner of his life, Richard does his best to remain strong--but when he's run down by bullies at his new school, he meets Mr. Foster, an elderly neighbor who chases off the bullies and invites Richard in for a cup of cocoa. Richard becomes fast friends with the wise, solitary man who inspires Richard's love for books and whose dog, Gollum, becomes his closest companion. <p/>As the holidays approach, the joy and light of Christmas seem unlikely to permeate the Evans home as things take a grim turn for the worse. And just when it seems like he has nothing left to lose, Richard is confronted by a startling revelation. But with Mr. Foster's wisdom and kindness, he learns for the first time what truly matters about the spirit of the season: that forgiveness can heal even the deepest wounds, and love endures long after the pain of loss subsides. <p/>In <i>A Christmas Mem