An entertaining spoof of American politics with energetic characters and sharp repartee.
A modern-day man trying to emulate the masked do-gooder of the Old West finds it harder than he expected in Taylor’s raucous adventure.
Taylor’s yarn begins in February 2021, when Joe Smith, laid off from his public relations job at Toyota, decides that what America—and especially his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky—needs is for him to become a new Lone Ranger, dedicated to righting wrongs and quelling strife. He acquires a sidekick in Teresa “Ta-Ta” VanDerveer, an attractive lawyer with money and time to burn; her autistic sister, Margie, has apparent right-wing sympathies, suspecting everyone she meets of stealing the election. The trio patrol Lexington’s streets and Starbucks shops in Ta-Ta’s Mercedes Cabriolet—which is silver, of course—looking for people in distress to help. Unfortunately, the new Lone Ranger’s methods of doing good—mainly handing out $20 bills and Good & Plenty candy—usually fail miserably. His attempt to calm a domestic squabble earns him a crack on the head from the wife’s skillet. After he tries to cheer up a depressed woman, she shoots herself. And his repeated efforts to help a scornful teenage sex worker result in more violence from her pimp. Along the way, the Lone Ranger takes in a satirical vision of American culture, awash in bizarre protests: “If you can love and coexist with dogs, then you should love and coexist with Covid!” exclaims a zealot at a coronavirus-rights march. Adding sardonic commentary on the scene is a magical figure known as Coyote, who often appears in the guise of a goat and performs offensive japes.
Taylor’s rambling picaresque features offbeat characters and gonzo situations, all in service of a sendup of extremism across the political spectrum, which he portrays as a cacophonous mashup of incoherent slogans and conspiracy theories: “They got Trump and Biden secretly together!” shrieks one protester. “To keep Bernie from winning! They want to topple Gamestop! We gotta build an underground Wall to stop Them!” Amid the rants and exclamation points, the Lone Ranger and Ta-Ta are depicted as the last halfhearted believers in hangdog American normalcy: “To make America heal, to bring back jobs, to make America function as a cohesive unit, respectful of the individual and of individual differences” is The Lone Ranger’s summary of his mission. Despite the vehemence of the politics on display, the novella’s mood is relaxed and generous; it’s bemused, rather than outraged, and seemingly convinced that masked adventuring is less important than quiet kindness in the face of misery. Margie turns out to be the story’s true hero; her orneriness evaporates when she comforts a bereaved mother with a heartfelt hug. Taylor’s dialogue sometimes suggests classic screwball comedy with its colorful eccentrics trading snappy banter—with Margie again stealing the show with snarky one-liners (He: “I am The Lone Ranger.” She: “Well then, why can’t you be more alone?”). Readers will root for the masked man as he undertakes his gallant, if seldom effectual, quest.
An entertaining spoof of American politics with energetic characters and sharp repartee.Pub Date: April 7, 2025
ISBN: 9798309579617
Page Count: -
Publisher: Nat 1 Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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