A deeply introspective and emotionally resonant novel.
A woman’s unsent missives unveil a lifetime of love, regret, and reckoning in Wueste’s epistolary novel.
The story unfolds via the perspective of Art Burleson, a professional “death administrator” who’s been hired to sort through the belongings of the recently deceased Lucy Prior. What begins as a routine job turns unexpectedly personal when Art discovers a box of her meticulously written but never-mailed letters, each addressed to someone from her past. These missives, beginning with one addressed to “The Person Responsible for Closing out my Earthly Affairs” and ranging from heartfelt apologies to scathing confrontations, paint a vivid picture of a woman grappling with unresolved emotions, past betrayals, and the enduring ache of lost love. Through them, readers glimpse Lucy’s life in fragments: childhood wounds inflicted by an abusive father, deep friendships fractured by time and circumstance, and a decades-long marriage that shaped and sustained her. Her letters to lost friends are filled with longing and remorse, reflecting on moments when she failed to act or to speak when it mattered most. By contrast, her letters to those who hurt her—particularly her father—seethe with a fury long suppressed, giving voice to emotions she never expressed in life: “If there is a Hell, I’ll see you there, because if there is justice, I’ll be your jailer.” Wueste’s prose seamlessly balances sharp wit, aching nostalgia, and raw honesty. Some letters are devastating in their vulnerability, while others brim with quiet humor and acceptance. The novel’s structure, though unconventional, mirrors the meandering nature of memory and confession, making for an intimate, almost voyeuristic reading experience. While some letters linger on details that slow the narrative’s momentum, they contribute to the novel’s overarching theme: the weight of the unsaid and the power of finally speaking, even if no one is left to listen.
A deeply introspective and emotionally resonant novel.Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2025
ISBN: 9798348488932
Page Count: 160
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 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
SEEN & HEARD
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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