James Calvin Schaap's holiday-themed novel contains seven stories, all Christmas related.  I have heard rave reviews of Mr. Schaap's books, but I'm afraid STARTLING JOY left me feeling cold.  The characters just never did it for me.

The first of the seven stories introduces a college professor whose "button-down sophistication" (if that's what you want to call snobbery) has him silently ridiculing an "over-weight, obnoxious, promiscuous, over-the-hill cowgirl bus driver."  The bus driver is telling anyone who listens about her daughter's no-good husband and how marriage seems to be a ticket to spousal abuse in her experience.  I read the short story three times to make sure I hadn't missed anything.  Unfortunately, the professor's snide attitude came through clearly and I never grew to enjoy his character at all.

Other stories contain the same combination of some grumpy, selfish character trying to preach his or her ways on those around him.  Characters range from Verona Worth, a woman whose son abandoned his pregnant girlfriend.  In return, that girlfriend refuses to let Verona be a part of her granddaughter's life.  In "Finding Something", a mother heads to her daughter's Seattle home where she hopes to force her daughter and grandchildren into attending church.  In another story, a school teacher named Julia is despondent to learn her fifteen-year-old daughter is pregnant.  The young girl is determined to keep her baby, but Julia is just as determined to force her daughter into placing the infant up for adoption.

I'd love to be able to say I enjoyed STARTLING JOY, but in the end, I didn't find any of the magic of Christmas within these pages.  All in all, I found it a rather depressing read.