A story that’s light on scares but offers a poignant reflection on recovery and second chances.
In Barry’s novel, a woman reflects on her experiences with the supernatural and how they ultimately led to her believe in ghosts—and in herself.
It’s 2003, and 34-year-old Melisandre “Mel” Roberts has never believed in the existence of the supernatural. However, when her best friend, Alexandra, asks her to cover a housesitting shift for a local psychic, Mel’s world is changed forever. There, she has her first encounter with an unseen force when she sees a “faint bluish light” emanating from the kitchen and hears mysterious, heavy footsteps on the floor above. From there, Mel becomes more interested in learning about the world that might exist beyond the one she knows, and she joins a ghost-hunting group with a charismatic leader. At one point, she hears a ghostly voice on a recording from one of their hunting expeditions, but she still struggles with doubts about the existence of spirits, as well as her own self-esteem issues. As she dives deeper into the ghostly realm, Mel finally finds a way to move forward with the help of her friends (both new and old). Barry keeps the supernatural descriptions fairly basic, which may disappoint readers who are looking for major scares: “The air around me crackled, and the hairs on my neck and arms stood upright. I shivered as a cold gust of wind swept past me.” However, the novel, which the author notes is based on a true story, makes up for the lack of frights with sharp characterization. The story delicately weaves Mel’s painful past, which includes an assault during her time in the military, into her quest to find meaning in the strange events around her. Her unique path toward healing makes for a compelling work that deals just as much with metaphorical ghosts of the past as it does with real-life phantoms in the present.
A story that’s light on scares but offers a poignant reflection on recovery and second chances.Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781961967502
Page Count: 342
Publisher: Rowan Prose Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 30, 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
A touching portrait of courage and friendship.
A lifetime of friendship endures many upheavals.
Ellie and Homa, two young girls growing up in Tehran, meet at school in the early 1950s. Though their families are very different, they become close friends. After the death of Ellie’s father, she and her difficult mother must adapt to their reduced circumstances. Homa’s more warm and loving family lives a more financially constrained life, and her father, a communist, is politically active—to his own detriment and that of his family’s welfare. When Ellie’s mother remarries and she and Ellie relocate to a more exclusive part of the city, the girls become separated. They reunite years later when Homa is admitted to Ellie’s elite high school. Now a political firebrand with aspirations to become a judge and improve the rights of women in her factionalized homeland, Homa works toward scholastic success and begins practicing political activism. Ellie follows a course, plotted originally by her mother, toward marriage. The tortuous path of the girls’ adult friendship over the following decades is played out against regime change, political persecution, and devastating loss. Ellie’s well-intentioned but naïve approach stands in stark contrast to Homa’s commitment to human rights, particularly for women, and her willingness to risk personal safety to secure those rights. As narrated by Ellie, the girls’ story incorporates frequent references to Iranian food, customs, and beliefs common in the years of tumult and reforms accompanying the Iranian Revolution. Themes of jealousy—even in close friendships—and the role of the shir zan, the courageous “lion women” of Iran who effect change, recur through the narrative. The heartaches associated with emigration are explored along with issues of personal sacrifice for the sake of the greater good (no matter how remote it may seem).
A touching portrait of courage and friendship.Pub Date: July 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781668036587
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
