Book tells Jacob T. Marley's side of the Christmas story

The Charles Dickens' story of "A Christmas Carol" is a seasonal staple for many families, including R. William Bennett's family.

They usually go to the Hale Center Theater's production of the story of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge and how his heart and perspective change during the course of ghostly visitors the night of Christmas Eve and into Christmas morning.

His late partner, Jacob T. Marley, only seems to have a bit part — one where he appears to Scrooge in chains before the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future appear.

"(Marley) seems to be on the periphery of the story, yet he's essential" as he apparently arranged for the three visitors, Bennett said in an interview with the Deseret News about the release of his book "Jacob T. Marley" (Shadow Mountain, $17.99).

Who Marley was and why he was able to appear to Scrooge also intrigued Bennett.

"He obviously feels so terribly about his life," Bennett said. "He's done something that allows him to visit Scrooge. He's the one who makes the difference and then vanishes."

Then after seeing a production of "Wicked," which is the back-story of the Wicked Witch of the West, he came up with the idea of how to tell the side story of Marley's life.

Bennett tells Marley's story in the recently released "Jacob T. Marley." Marley and his normal, happy family come with a heritage of heroism. Then, slowly but surely, Marley wraps himself up in work and making money such that every relationship is considered for its profitability and severed if not worthwhile.

"I wanted to give Marley no excuses for the life he led," Bennett said, contrasting that to Scrooge's unhappy childhood.

"He just plain tripped up and wants to turn around," Bennett said of what Marley realizes after his death and his attempts to help the colleague he molded to avoid the same fate.

"Just like 'A Christmas Carol gives use hope that like Scrooge, we can change, ('Jacob T. Marley' has) the message of hope that change can stick," Bennett said. "When a heart truly changes, it lasts."

In "Jacob T. Marley," Bennett also incorporates Scrooge's life after that Christmas Day.

"All we know about Scrooge's future was that Dickens said that Scrooge is as good as his word," Bennett said. And that Tiny Tim didn't die, so Scrooge presumably was involved.