“Never too late for an accounting"

When I was around 8, we went to see Mickey’s Christmas Carol at the movie theater. I'll never forget the chills I got watching the graveyard scene. Soon after, I would see the George C. Scott version on TV and marvel at the largesse of Christmas Present. With my kids, I would delight at the Muppet’s take. To this day, they still giggle at the memory of the scene when Rizzo kisses Gonzo.  

Of course, the classic story started as a book, which I first read in middle school and soon became an annual read. After discovering Samantha Silva’s novel Mr. Dickens and His Carol in 2018, I was in the mood for another modern adaptation of the familiar tale. It’s frightening how well Marley by Jon Clinch suits Christmas 2020.

As the title reveals, the action centers, not on Ebenezer Scrooge, but on his business partner Jacob Marley. Rather than appear as a ghost, Marley is all flesh and blood, motivated by greed and desire. Master of disguise and charm, he dupes everyone around him for the sake of building up his fortunes. The most nefarious part of the story is that Marley and Scrooge have built up their business by engaging in the transport of enslaved Africans to the Americas. Without giving too much away, Marley’s  penchant for the “knocking-shop” ends up being his demise, but not until after he literally gets away with murder.

If you need lighthearted fare this season, leave this one on the shelf. But if you want to dive into a world that may be even darker than our own, Marley deserves a chance.  Certainly, you’ll never see Marley’s chains the same way again.