The Smile of DecemberBy: Jonathan VickersTHE SMILE OF DECEMBER is a family drama with an overall theme of fatherhood in its various forms. For Darryl Walker, being a good father to two handsome boys would be his finest achievement, nullifying the mistakes of his own father, but fate can intervene in strange ways. The joys and sadness of fatherhood are tested time and again - sometimes elevated, sometimes crushed - for Darryl and his two sons, brothers who are as different as God could possibly create them and who lead unusual and surprising lives as adults. Darryl raises his sons while enduring a loveless marriage to a woman he was emotionally blackmailed into marrying; always remembering the beautiful woman he does love but will never be able to love completely. The lives of these five people are sent on an unforeseen trajectory by the cruel and vicious act of a rapist - a rape that alters and re-defines who they are: Does creating a life give a man ownership to it? Is a man bound to be faithful to a woman he does not love? Can the friendship between two men transcend a sexual act?About the AuthorJONATHAN VICKERS, formerly an actor and director in theatre, has now turned to writing. This is his first novel after penning a short story he's rather proud of, several memoir pieces, and an essay on how the coronavirus pandemic affected New York City. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, an Army veteran, and worked for many years in hospital administration. He is now retired and lives in New York with his wife, daughter, and granddaughter, who finds it fun to call him "Babbo".