A satisfying story of healing.
Two families move forward from loss and grief on the shoreline of western Michigan in Chalker’s novel.
Five years out of college in the summer of 2023, Tara finds her life is at a crossroads. Her relationship with her live-in boyfriend ended six months ago, her job organizing fundraisers for a nonprofit is petering out, and her dear Aunt Becca recently passed away from cancer. Aunt Becca’s widower, Uncle Robb, is reeling from Aunt Becca’s death. Their home in Empire, Michigan, near Sleeping Bear Dunes, has always been Tara’s refuge from the “complex chaos” of her family, so she is happy to move in with Uncle Robb as they both grieve and she tries to figure out a fulfilling career. In another town near Empire, 13-year-old Maria, whose parents and sister have been deported because of their immigration status, lives with her grandmother, who has just had a stroke. Worried that she will be put into foster care, Maria runs away and hides in a farmhouse that is part of a Parks Service nature preserve near Empire. Tara’s dog Taffy discovers Maria’s hiding place. With her grandmother’s permission, Maria stays with Tara and Uncle Robb as her grandmother undergoes rehab nearby. Having Tara, Taffy, and Maria around helps renew Uncle Robb’s spirit. Reading Aunt Becca’s journals from 1971, a pivotal year she spent studying in France when she was 20, widens Tara’s perspective. Chalker explores multiple types of loss—ranging from relationships ending to families being torn apart by heartless immigration policies to death—with great empathy in this character-driven novel. The use of Becca’s journals from 1971 effectively illustrates how opportunities for women have changed over the intervening decades. Nature plays an important role as both a literal and emotional refuge, and the beauty of the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan is vividly evoked: “Gentle waves roll in from the deep navy blue of the water farther out to the shallow aqua water near the shore.”
A satisfying story of healing.Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2025
ISBN: 9798992260700
Page Count: 271
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 24, 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
SEEN & HEARD
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
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