A winningly detailed art-world story.
Scenes from the long life of an artist striving to stick to his principles.
Eggers’ latest novel concerns Robert Dibb, aka Cricket, raised in a dysfunctional home in Indiana. His mother is distant and her boyfriend abusive; Cricket’s sole solace as a child is drawing, a gift encouraged by his grandfather Silas. After Silas dies, 9-year-old Cricket begins living independently, supported in his efforts by Olympia Argyros, only a year ahead of him but old enough to feel like she was in “another world,” who guides him to his artistic and sexual awakening. Scraping together enough money to take drawing classes, he becomes a gifted draftsman of nudes (most of which are drawn by Eggers himself), but when the local library reneges on its promise to display his drawing, he comes to avoid making his work public. This David Copperfield–ish setup—child with few resources makes his way in the world, entwined with a female confidante—has a speed and liveliness often missing in Eggers’ novels, heavily allegorical as they can be. Its success comes in part from his emphasis on character over theme: Cricket’s anxieties and fears are vivid, especially as he pursues manual jobs (tile work, ship breaking) that underscore his love of detail and his urge to keep moving. Olympia, likewise, is compelling as his lifelong would-be patron, particularly in a fine set piece involving a highly successful but ethically suspect artist. Still, this is an Eggers novel, with some of his usual heavy-handedness, this time about the battle between art and commerce and the distinction between high-concept stunts and craftsmanship. (An art teacher, Marcus Carpenter—note the name—thunders like a prophet about the death of skill and beauty, and seems teleported from Wise Elder central casting.) When Eggers sticks to his main characters, though, the book achieves the simple beauty Cricket himself strives for.
A winningly detailed art-world story.Pub Date: June 9, 2026
ISBN: 9780593803509
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
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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