Review of The Truth About Elves

[Prudence Katunasa]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Truth About Elves" by Ekta R. Garg.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Your legendary elf would be short with elongated ears, mischievous, and often perceived as a magical creature. This is the world’s typical description of Santa’s little helpers. In stark contrast, elves are merely humans in Ekta Garg's book, going through human things as well. The life of a particular elf and Vegas bartender, Curtis, is chronicled in The Truth About Elves. Narrated by the man himself, we see how he became an elf as a last resort and as an escape mechanism. Curtis flees from his former life as a means to forget about an accident that scarred his life deeply. However, as this year marks the tenth anniversary of that accident, his past seems to be catching up to him as Mr. Claus assigns him to do something that will require him to face it.
 
Reading Ekta R. Garg’s novella was worthwhile. Although the title is a giveaway that this book will be denouncing the connotations of elves, it still managed to surprise me. I loved how it was realistic, but the author didn’t sap the book of the Christmas spirit of family, reconciliation, miracles, and a somewhat happy ending. The use of euphemisms instead of coarse language was brilliant.
 
Even though the book had a happy ending, I felt like it ended with a cliffhanger. I was looking forward to seeing how the main character’s life would unfold after going back to his old life, so I wish the author built on that. However, this is subjective and doesn’t have a bearing on the book as a whole.
 
I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. It could be read in a single sitting. The storyline was original. It was exceptionally edited. Even though one of the underlying themes was solitude, I love how this story showed us that there is power in community and that oftentimes, we need people who will help usher us out of bad seasons. All in all, it was a heartwarming book.
 
I would recommend this book to an adult audience because of its sophisticated plot.
 
 
 

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The Truth About Elves
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