Gabriel Canfield was killed on June 6, 1944. Gabriel was serving as a medic in the U.S. military as part of the invasion of Omaha Beach. He was kind, eager to help those in need, and not too keen on shooting anyone. In the afterlife, he is a tough nut to crack. Gabriel is expected to take some time to acclimate to his new environment and revisit old memories. He isn’t interested in either. Does he want to take this opportunity to read the books he never got to read? Play golf? No and no. Gabriel has seen the horrors of the battlefield and wants to ensure that no one dies alone. He decides to become a Guardian of Transitions. He will guide the living through difficult times and provide counsel to those facing terminal illness or even suicide. Though the dead medic has the best of intentions, he stirs up controversy and faces multiple reprimands. Yet, when he gets it right, he gets it “spectacularly right.” And so he does what he can. Klein’s story takes unexpected turns. For instance, not all of the individuals Gabriel sees are necessarily good Samaritans. One man (whom Gabriel describes as a “lazy creep”) overdoses on drugs in an attempt to win pity from both his wife and his mistress. Other characters are not quite as memorable. Gabriel must interfere with a particularly nasty woman at an orphanage. Yet one never knows where this Guardian with street smarts and an attitude will wind up next. The world certainly needs him. As the title would suggest, Gabriel may just end up saving Christmas for someone. Indeed, as he astutely points out, people are simply “more idiotic than the whole rest of the year” around the holidays.

Gabriel Canfield was killed on June 6, 1944. Gabriel was serving as a medic in the U.S. military as part of the invasion of Omaha Beach. He was kind, eager to help those in need, and not too keen on shooting anyone. In the afterlife, he is a tough nut to crack. Gabriel is expected to take some time to acclimate to his new environment and revisit old memories. He isn’t interested in either. Does he want to take this opportunity to read the books he never got to read? Play golf? No and no. Gabriel has seen the horrors of the battlefield and wants to ensure that no one dies alone. He decides to become a Guardian of Transitions. He will guide the living through difficult times and provide counsel to those facing terminal illness or even suicide. Though the dead medic has the best of intentions, he stirs up controversy and faces multiple reprimands. Yet, when he gets it right, he gets it “spectacularly right.” And so he does what he can. Klein’s story takes unexpected turns. For instance, not all of the individuals Gabriel sees are necessarily good Samaritans. One man (whom Gabriel describes as a “lazy creep”) overdoses on drugs in an attempt to win pity from both his wife and his mistress. Other characters are not quite as memorable. Gabriel must interfere with a particularly nasty woman at an orphanage. Yet one never knows where this Guardian with street smarts and an attitude will wind up next. The world certainly needs him. As the title would suggest, Gabriel may just end up saving Christmas for someone. Indeed, as he astutely points out, people are simply “more idiotic than the whole rest of the year” around the holidays.

An appealing, unlikely hero gives the typical Christmas tale a much-needed twist.