Christmas Eve on Lonesome and Other Stories

"Christmas Eve on Lonesome and Other Stories" by John Fox, Jr. is a set of tales that look at tough feelings like love and revenge in the Appalachian mountains during the early 1900s. The first story shows a man named Buck, thinking about his mistakes and wanting to get even as he travels through a snowy scene one Christmas Eve. He faces surprising feelings that make him rethink his plans. Buck is full of sad memories about being betrayed and losing his family. He gets ready to face an enemy he has wanted to punish for a very long time. While riding in the snow, Buck starts thinking about the warm light in his enemy's window and Buck realizes that the woman he loved -- who he thought he had lost forever -- is now married to the man he blames for his problems. Seeing a child inside this happy home in the light, Buck struggles with whether he should get his revenge, or if love and forgiveness are stronger than hate, setting up the overall emotional feeling of all the stories.