A sharp-edged novella that delivers its story at the pace of a highlight reel.
Browning presents a novella about a former party girl whose unlikely connection with a gentle beast jolts her out of a self-destructive spiral.
Tabitha Eggs is an alcoholic, Napa Valley, California-based trust-funder who’s been exiled from her privileged world because of her immaturity, compared to others in her friend group. She goes on a retreat into the redwood forests of Del Norte County, where she plans to drink and smoke herself into oblivion. However, her path of self-destruction meets an obstacle when she discovers two dead bodies, whom she suspects are the previous owners of her new property. In the wake of this discovery comes a series of Bigfoot hunters, searching for the alleged beastly killer in the woods around her new home; they’re accompanied by protesters who want the Bigfoot hunting to stop. Tabitha confronts her real estate agent, Annie, who seems to know more than she’s letting on about the situation. Her suspicions are confirmed when she comes face-to-face with a kind sasquatch who saves her from a wildfire. Thus begins a strange love story that revels in its offbeat tone, playing familiar romance tropes completely straight while cutting through exposition like an impatient reader skipping to the good parts. The prose moves briskly, with snappy characters and a refusal to dwell on the granular logistics of the novel’s premise. Indeed, it’s less about worldbuilding and more about the emotional transformation, although Tabitha’s change of heart feels too fast to land with full impact, jumping from nihilism to purpose without much introspection. Likewise, the romance with her sasquatch savior exists more as a concept than as a developed relationship; readers will wish for more from their connection—more buildup, more tension, more resonance, more space to see it grow. That said, the novel delivers the quirky, unhinged entertainment it promises, and the protagonist’s voice is distinct and memorable. Overall, it’s a wild ride that’s as compelling as it is unorthodox.
A sharp-edged novella that delivers its story at the pace of a highlight reel.Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023
ISBN: 9798988869917
Page Count: 162
Publisher: Sonoma Mediaworks
Review Posted Online: Aug. 22, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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
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