You know what I think we all need this holiday season? A lovely story about a woman celebrating Christmas by serving some well-deserved justice. Fortunately, we have All She Wants for Christmas is Revenge, just in time.
Written by Tia Levings, this is a charming little short story about a woman named Josie. When she finds out that her husband has been cheating on her, she decides to take revenge. But it’s the holidays. So of course, the revenge should be as festive as possible. And it is.
The first thing I’ve got to say about this story is that, well, it didn’t go how I thought it would.
This might be a spoiler, but Josie doesn’t kill her husband. Maybe I’m just twisted, that I thought that’s where it was going.
(Of course, if I had written this, my character would have strung the tree with his guts and mailed his head to his toxic mom. But, you know, I write horror.)
What Josie does is spectacular, though. I’ll let you find out for yourself.
Honestly, I really liked Josie. I loved how much self-control she had. How she managed to paste on a smile while enacting her plan is just chef’s kiss. And she really thinks of everything.
This story was incredibly funny, too. I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, so I won’t go into a lot of detail. But picturing her vengeance was just wonderful. When you read this, and you should, I want you to really imagine the fallout. It’s almost like a Christmas miracle.
Finally, though, this is more than a story of revenge. This is a story of healing. Josie is rediscovering who she was before her abusive marriage. Yes, she punks the shit out of him. But she also realizes how far she’s fallen into a persona that was never really hers.
Tia and I were both raised in conservative, traditional churches. We both escaped abusive marriages. And we both understand what it’s like to feel like you’re not allowed to be yourself.
To see Josie be herself, and then take revenge on the person who took her spark from her, was so cathartic.
All She Wants For Christmas is Revenge is available as of today. It’s funny, uplifting, and incredibly irreverent. You should read it.
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