Snow Day by Billy Coffey

Peter is a simple man who lives by a simple truth--a person gains strength by leaning on his constants. To him, those constants are the factory where he works, the family he loves, and the God who sustains him. But when news of job cuts comes against the backdrop of an unexpected snowstorm, his life becomes filled with far more doubts than certainties.

With humor and a gift for storytelling, Billy Coffey brings you along as he spends his snow day encountering family, friends, and strangers of his small Virginia town. All have had their own battles with life's storms. Some have found redemption. Others are still seeking it. But each one offers a piece to the puzzle of why we must sometimes suffer loss, and each one will help Peter find a greater truth--our lives are made beautiful not by our big moments, but our little ones. (publisher synopsis)

This book was unusual in a couple ways.  First, it was not at all what I expected.  I anticipated a heart-warming Christmas story, where all of life's problems are solved by virtue of it being December.  Instead, it really had nothing to do with Christmas except in a background way.  Secondly, instead of a continuous story, it was a series of mini-episodes - each chapter an individual encounter threaded together into one plot.  Because of that, it felt a little disjointed to me and I found it easier to read the chapters individually, interspersed with another book - taking it in small bites with time to digest.

This is definitely a Christian book, as the main character's faith is the hinge for the entire story.  As we have had a string of life-changing events in the past six months, I enjoyed seeing how the characters handled their similar situations through prayer, incite and faith.  It was both inspiring and touching just to know that someone - even a fictional someone - faces the same challenges.