In Irish storytelling tradition, Patti Callahan Henry has a brought us a touching holiday tale about finding and holding onto the things you love in The Perfect Love Song.

The unnamed, omniscient storyteller weaves the tale of brothers Jack and Jimmy and their girlfriends, Kara and Charlotte. They’ve all experienced pain and loss while growing up, but they have found success as young adults making their way in the world. Even so, they also face challenges left over from events that shaped them in childhood.

The Perfect Love Song is a snapshot of a year in their lives, a year when one couple plans a marriage and the other struggles to hold onto their relationship. The story also asks readers to consider how they will identify the most important things in their lives and what they will sacrifice to hold onto them. The storyteller knows it all and hints at a little Celtic magic at work behind the scenes.