A lovely and moving collection that will resonate with many readers.
Joseph presents a book of short stories looking at the human condition from many perspectives.
In this captivating anthology of 16 short stories, the author introduces a number of compelling characters at various stages of life. Each of the stories is told from a first-person perspective, narrated by characters both male and female, young and old, chronicling the innocence of youth, the wisdom of old age, and everything in between. The subjects (some funny, some sad) run the gamut of human experience. “Parking Cars” examines the strains of friendship as a young man finds out more than he’d like about his good friend as they work as valets at a high-end country club, testing their bonds of loyalty and trust. Family dynamics are front and center in “So Far From Town When Everyone Else Lived Close,” in which a Fourth of July gathering ends with a confrontation and changes a family forever. Family themes are also explored in “Home for Thanksgiving,” in which a young man thinks he’s deftly dodging questions about his love life from inquisitive relatives. “Crazy Eddie” is a look at the relationship that two youngsters have with an eccentric and largely shunned character in town. Other stories involve small-town living, true love, lost love, and other topics that will be relatable to many readers. The topics are all accessible—the real strength of this collection is Joseph’s simple but effective writing. There are no dramatic plot twists here, just recognizable characters and situations animating simply told but powerful stories. Joseph doesn’t hit the reader over the head with his theme, though he identifies it in an author’s note as age, in its many different forms: “Age of our bodies. Age of our minds. Age of our hearts. Age of our souls.” Joseph covers all of that and more in this lovely collection, a deceptively profound book that will appeal to anyone who appreciates the power of good storytelling.
A lovely and moving collection that will resonate with many readers.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9781735919157
Page Count: 193
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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A touching story of love and grief ends in an epic battle of good versus evil.
Roberts’ latest may move you to tears, or joy, or dread, or all three.
Every summer, John and Cora Fox visit Cora’s mother, Lucy Lannigan, in Redbud Hollow, Kentucky, leaving their children, 12-year-old Thea and 10-year-old Rem, for a two-week taste of heaven. The children love Grammie Lucy far more than John’s snooty family, which looks down on Cora. Lucy, a healer with deep Appalachian roots, loves animals, cooks the best meals, plays musical instruments, and makes soap and candles for her thriving business. Thea—who’s inherited the psychic abilities passed down through the women of Lucy’s family—has vivid magical dreams, one of which becomes a living nightmare when a psychopath robs and murders John and Cora as Thea watches helplessly. Thea’s description of the killer and her ability to see him in real time help the skeptical police catch Ray Riggs, who goes to prison for life. Although Thea and Rem go on to have a wonderful childhood with Grammie, Thea constantly wages a mental battle with Riggs, who tries to use his own psychic abilities to get into her mind. Over the years, Thea uses her imagination to become a game designer while the more business-minded Rem helps manage her career. Thea eventually builds a house near Lucy, where a newly arrived neighbor is her teen crush, singer-songwriter Tyler Brennan. Tyler has his own issues and is protective of his young son but slowly builds a loving relationship with Thea, whose silence about her abilities leads to a devastating misunderstanding. At first Thea tries to keep Riggs locked out of her mind. As her powers grow, she torments him. Finally, she realizes that she must win this battle and destroy him if she’s ever to have peace.
A touching story of love and grief ends in an epic battle of good versus evil.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781250289698
Page Count: 432
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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