THE SANTA CLAUS GIRL

In a city reeling from a polio outbreak, several good Samaritans work together to save an ill young girl in this debut historical novel.

It’s 1952 in New York City, and 15-year-old Megan McGuire wakes up feeling a little under the weather. What she thinks might be fixed with a healthy dose of aspirin, however, turns out to be a case of polio. The first part of this book features thoughtful period details and takes readers on a riveting journey as Megan goes to the hospital for lifesaving treatment. Other major players are introduced along the way: Cab driver Ben Wilson serves as Megan’s transport, and the estimable Virginia Douglas, principal of P.S. 401, a school for ill children, is seated several floors above Megan at the hospital. When a young girl arrives at the facility months later, desperately needing an iron lung when none are available in the city, these three people band together to help get her access to one. Although it’s set in the distant past, Goodin’s novel is very timely; in the preface, the author outlines how her story, with a presidential election and a pandemic looming large, mirrors the present day. Yet, as clever as this reflection is, it struggles to balance what becomes a very large cast of characters. The author shows an enviable ability to give voice to her characters’ deepest emotions, as in a heartfelt inner monologue by Megan’s mother, as she wonders if her daughter will survive. Too many of these moments, however, make the book feel as if it’s trying to accomplish too much; the plot gets complicated and muddled in the novel’s final third, when an aviator is called in to pilot a plane during a snowstorm, and the happenstance relationships that connect the various players ultimately feel rather flimsy.

An intriguing tale that’s hampered by too many characters and plot contrivances.