Book Review: Humbug, The Unwinding Of Ebenezer Scrooge

Published by Sue Cook at December 3, 2023

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Book cover image from Amazon

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Humbug, The Unwinding of Ebenezer Scrooge by Tony Bertauski is the most unique and beautiful telling of Charles Dickens’ beloved “A Christmas Carol,” I have read.

I am a huge Scrooge fan. I have read the Charles Dickens original until I could repeat it verbatim. I have watched every “Scrooge” movie I could find from musicals to muppets. I even have a Cherished Teddy “Christmas Carol” village.

This book took me by surprise. It has a futuristic nature, with a delicious touch of the original. I was thrown off at first by how the story was changed, but that was my fault. I had preconceived notions.

I should have learned long ago with “Claus” and “Jack” never to judge Bertauski’s books by their covers. You will find yourself completely off balance, and awed.

The characters were beautifully written, and had you feeling for them as if they were your friends/family. The harsh environment of Avocado punctuated every life choice that Scrooge made. Again totally out of left field, and wonderful.

Humbug had me identifying with Ebenezer in a way I had not with the original. I am not a curmudgeon, or cruel to people. However there are elements to Humbug that bring the story very close to home.

This telling is almost a spiritual journey beyond ghosts or time. It explores false faces, and how one projects themselves to the world. It was soul touching, and I welcomed the freshness of that aspect of the story.

Was there a Tiny Tim or Bob Cratchit? Did the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future haunt Ebenezer’s nights? In a way, but not how you think the scenario will play out. That is what is so exciting.

Bertauski hands you a beloved text of Christmas in Humbug, and then invites you to explore Ebenezer. To reach deep into your psyche, and see if this could happen in our culture.

I was held captive within this narrative until the final word. Charles Dickens and Tony Bertauski, two masters of this cautionary tale.

This is destined to be a Christmas Classic to be read every Christmas, alongside the original.

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If you liked this review, please check out these reviews for more Holiday novels.

Sue Cook

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Sue Cook lives in Freeport, Illinois with her husband Randy and two dogs. Her passions include assistance dogs, rescue dogs, music, acting, theater, poetry, and Doctor Who. She’s been in both film and theater and is a regular cast member of the podcast Doctor Who’s Line is it….Anyway? Sue is an advocate for the use of Service Dogs to assist their disabled handlers to maintain their independence. Quigley’s Quest, her first children’s book, addresses how a dog becomes a Service Dog.