Review of ‘Stocking Fillers’ by Debbie Young.

Soft and Hard Centres.

This delightful tray of wrapped Christmas bon-bons will round off the excesses most appropriately. You may bite into each and any and be slightly surprised at their flavours, sardonic, satirical, compassionate, humourous, and in the collection there lies an almost a Victorian antiquity, the moral admonition that too much of anything is unwise, indeed a little reprehensible. Yet it is laughingly said, no sweetness is sacrificed it is Christmas and that, as we know, demands restraint, tolerance and goodwill. They are all fun to share and pass around. But like the wrappings in the bin they paint a subtle message that spoilt children, lonely widows, competitive exhibitionism, and dreary duty is also part of the season of goodwill. Debbie knows just how to juggle the flavours. If you can face the complaints turn off the television, build up the fire and read them aloud. A new kind of ‘Christmas Carol’ for this era of equal inequality, but it caries its morality very lightly and nobody will notice..