A sad family saga with an uplifting ending.
A brother and sister cope with tragedy in Thomas’ novel.
As the story opens in 2001, middle-aged Vic Serafini has just overdosed on sedatives and antidepressants after losing his family in a tragic accident. He survives the overdose, but is deeply depressed; his sister, Josie, moves in with him to help him recover. It turns out that Vic hasn’t told her that he’s been in touch with their estranged father. The story bounces back and forth between 2001 and various points in Vic’s and Josie’s pasts. In 1971, 18-year-old Vic enlists to fight in Vietnam, much to the chagrin of his family; in 1981, Josie and Vic’s mother is dying of cancer and Josie is pregnant by a man who has left the country and likely won’t be back. Later, in 1997, Josie’s teenage daughter, Ellie, is curious about her biological father even though Josie’s husband, Ben, has been a good adoptive parent to her; shortly after Ellie writes her father a letter, she experiences a personal tragedy. In 2001, Vic goes back to work, and Josie tries to reconnect with Ellie, who’s fallen out of touch with her. The novel continues from this point, focused on Vic’s recovery and Josie’s strained relationships with her father and daughter. There’s also a side story about Vic’s late wife’s brother and a tragedy that befalls him. Readers may find that the novel’s first half is almost unbearably sad, and although it doesn’t cross the line into melodrama, the characters are put through the wringer. The second half is largely about healing and repairing damaged relationships, although it, too, isn’t without tragedy; the characters witness 9/11 on TV, which adds additional pathos, as does the illness of Josie’s horse. The story is told through narrative, letters, and song lyrics—Ellie is a musician—which, when combined with the nonlinear storytelling, can make the novel as a whole feel a little disjointed. The ending is hopeful, though, showing characters looking forward to the next stages of their lives.
A sad family saga with an uplifting ending.Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-64742-393-3
Page Count: 286
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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