An engrossing and epic family tale bursting with curious characters and subplots.
This series opener centers on the machinations of a turbulent family.
Nine-year-old Theo Schism squeezes himself into a refrigerator and shuts the door in 1953. After his death, the Schisms ultimately split apart: George and Lucy divorce while Theo’s little sister, Isabel, goes off on her own at a young age. In a story that spans decades, the family members’ lives are generally tumultuous. Lucy, at one point, threatens to kill herself; George’s second wife actually commits suicide; and Isabel’s stepfather, Rance Murdock, should be nowhere near an adolescent girl. Also populating the story is Leif Lambrochet, the father of teen Isabel’s baby, though his sister, Clare, is doubtful he’s the dad. While Leif enlists in the Army and fights in Vietnam in the 1970s, his friend Roberto “Robot” Larch dodges the draft by hiding out in Canada. As the years pass, shocking revelations await some of these individuals, including Isabel’s daughter, Abra Cadabra “Snap” Weaver. In the early 21st century, Snap, as executor of Lucy’s will, scatters her grandmother’s ashes and learns a surprising amount of information about the woman’s past. Veith’s novel, despite being only Book 1 of a trilogy, is extensive. The nonlinear narrative hops around decades, although its intermittent focus on Leif and Robot keeps it mostly in the Vietnam War era. The author’s polished prose generates smooth scene transitions, making ever changing time periods easy to track. The writing is furthermore consistent, such that there’s not much distinction between different voices, including in Clare’s journal entries and George’s memoir that Isabel periodically reads. Regardless, the lively characters are embroiled in absorbing melodrama (one family member may blame another for what happened to Theo) and the occasional crime (Isabel seems convinced that one particular death is a murder).
An engrossing and epic family tale bursting with curious characters and subplots. (editor’s note, dedication, acknowledgments)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72832-950-5
Page Count: 650
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 novel about loss with a magical and mystical flourish.
A young man helps the living and dead meet one last time under the full moon.
Japanese bestseller Tsujimura’s quiet novel follows a mysterious teenager known as the go-between, who can set up meetings between the living and the dead. An introverted woman wants to meet the television star with whom she has a parasocial relationship. A cynical eldest son hopes to visit his mother about their family business. A devastated high schooler fears she is responsible for her friend’s tragic death. And, finally, a middle-aged workaholic finally feels ready to find out if his fiancée, who disappeared seven years ago, is dead. Each character has a uniquely personal reason for seeking out the deceased, including closure and forgiveness, as well as selfishness and fear. Imbued with magic and the perfect amount of gravitas, there are many rules around these meetings: Only the living can make requests and they can only have one meeting per lifetime. Additionally, the dead can deny a meeting—and, most importantly, once the dead person has met with a living person, they will be gone forever. With secrets shared, confessions made, and regrets cemented, these meetings lead to joy and sorrow in equal measure. In the final chapter, all of these visits—and their importance in the go-between’s life—begin to gracefully converge. As we learn the go-between’s identity, we watch him struggle with the magnitude and gravity of his work. At one point, he asks: “When a life was lost, who did it belong to? What were those left behind meant to do with the incomprehensible, inescapable loss?” Though the story can be repetitive, Tsujimura raises poignant and powerful questions about what the living owe not only the dead, but each other; and how we make peace with others and ourselves in the wake of overwhelming grief.
A touching novel about loss with a magical and mystical flourish.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781668099834
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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