MIRACLE ON MALL DRIVE

A snowstorm traps a group of strangers in a mall on the day before Christmas in Milana’s debut novel.

The story centers around a melancholy occasion, even though it’s Christmas Eve in Chicago, as the Maplefield Mall is slated to be shuttered permanently. This is particularly poignant for Betty Bryant, who’s been the mall’s manager for decades and is now sadly presiding over its final celebration of the Christmas season. At her side, as always, is the mall’s general counsel, Leo Sawyer, who’s been her main support for many years, and Leo thinks of her as “one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable.” Lately, they’ve been plagued by the crisp, businesslike, young Darci Timbers, who is overseeing Maplefield’s closing, “hand-picked to work here by the real estate tycoon who owned this and many other shopping centers.” That tycoon, Malcolm Wiggins, is flying into Chicago to close this one himself, accompanied by his overworked assistant, Harry, who’d much rather be at home with his wife, Emily, who’s expecting their first child. A large cast of other characters joins these lines converging on the mall as a snowstorm moves in, including mall worker Elmer; Pastor Max, leader of a congregation in one of the city’s toughest neighborhoods; and 14-year-old Karina, one of the troubled young people under Max’s care. When the snowstorm accelerates from “white Christmas” to holiday nightmare, these disparate characters face a crisis that changes all their lives. It’s a fairly pat premise, but Milana imbues it all with energy, and detail overcomes its predictability. That said, the characters are somewhat unevenly drawn. Betty and Leo shine with a warmly realized sense of humanity; for example, early on, Betty thinks, “No matter what the weather—rain or shine—and no matter the circumstances—feast or famine, Leo brought a fairy-tale kind of joy to her day.” However, Malcolm remains one-dimensional, even in a traumatic situation. The character-by-character setup, necessary to make readers care about them, feels overlong, and because the cast is so big, several minor plot threads feel slight. Even so, the final act redeems these flaws.

A familiar but often heartwarming modern version of a Christmas miracle story.