A well-researched exploration of love and redemption against the backdrop of post–World War II New England.
Shortly after World War II, a young woman falls for the prized son of a wealthy family and finds herself caught in a web of international espionage.
The book opens in 1954 as Emilia Winthrop, a professor at Wellesley College, receives a phone call from her aunt informing her that the Peabodys are returning to Winthrop Island to restore their summer home. Summerly hasn’t been used since just after the war, and the return of this prominent family raises many questions. The book then shifts to 1946, back when Emilia still lived on Winthrop Island. Though the island bears her family's name, the Winthrops sold their land generations earlier, and they have since acted as hired help for the wealthy vacationers who use the place as a summer playground. Emilia reconnects with Shep Peabody, her best childhood friend, who has returned from the war a hero. As they get to know each other all over again, Emilia wonders if she and Shep could be more than just friends, though she worries their family backgrounds are simply too different. Meanwhile, Shep’s cosmopolitan and mysterious Aunt Olive has just arrived on the island, bringing along her high fashion and tales of Europe during the war. While Emilia revels in Olive's worldliness and sophistication, others on the island begin to grow suspicious of the long-lost aunt and her unusual behaviors. As the accusations against Olive grow increasingly serious, Emilia is forced to defend her new friend against allegations of disloyalty to the U.S., even whispers of treason and spying. As tensions continue to build, Emilia wonders whether Olive's presence on Winthrop might destroy her budding relationship with Shep, or worse. When the story shifts back to 1954, an older Emilia must confront the memories of that fateful summer and ask herself if she can claim the life she's always wanted. With a narrative that starts in the middle and jumps frequently between timelines, Williams’ novel requires patience as readers get the lay of the land. Once the plotlines become clearer, suspense builds, and the novel becomes entirely engaging. Full of evocative, whip-sharp dialogue, the book shines especially in its description of fictional Winthrop Island, a New England vacation enclave something like Nantucket but with idiosyncrasies and traditions all its own. As the characters struggle to regain their footing after the war, there are moments when excessive description and lengthy backstory get in the way of the plot. Even so, the author’s deft exploration of many thought-provoking issues, from social class to personal responsibility and regret, make this one a winner.
A well-researched exploration of love and redemption against the backdrop of post–World War II New England.Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9780063020849
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
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
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.
With only a month left until the world ends due to a swiftly approaching black hole, Don and Rodney, a retired gay couple, road-trip from Maine to Washington to spend their final days with their son.
After reports that a planet-swallowing black hole is making its way toward Earth, Rodney and Don—who have been together for 40 years and survived everything from homophobia to the HIV crisis—decide to pack their belongings into an RV, say goodbye to their neighbors, and travel from Camden, Maine, to Washington to uphold a promise to spend their final days with their son. They can’t wait any longer, since there’s already chaos around the country: “Military vehicles in the streets of most cities and towns. Looting, rioting, the burning of cars and buildings and people, all of it had already happened.” As they make their way west across the country, they encounter fellow travelers ranging from close-knit families to free-spirited hippies, some of whom have come to terms with the impending end of the world and others who haven’t. While the story seems to be asking readers what they would do if they had 30 days left to live, and reflects on what different kinds of acceptance might look like in the face of unavoidable tragedy, it loses some of its poignancy in a series of thinly padded monologues about the meaning of life. Clearly intended to pack an emotional punch, it’s failed by an abrupt ending, and the way the journey’s mystery—which will be obvious to many readers—is revealed by an info dump in the last chapter.
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781250881236
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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