Warm, hopeful, often charming. The Ramans are an idiosyncratic oasis in the world of literary unhappy families.
The Ramans were your typical Indian American family. Dad's a computer guy at Central Texas State University, Mom made sure the house was immaculate, the family well fed. Their son is an Ivy League lawyer in New York, their daughter a medieval history professor in Austin. But then, a year ago, Lata very untypically left her husband of 30-odd years, and now the ripples are starting to look more like a tsunami.
Meet Suresh. He took early retirement last year and now rattles around the family home in Clayborn. With Lata gone, he lives off frozen burritos and omelets. Taking care of the yard was another Lata job, one he handles more successfully, finding he likes getting his hands dirty. But his real pastime is dating. He Googles “Indian internet dating” one day and can’t stop searching. When he meets Mallika, he thinks he may have found his first second date. Across town, Lata’s living in a condo, working at the university’s music library, and faring better. She’s got a new friend, Deanna, the pierced and tattooed Ph.D. student she works with, and even a love interest, Len Greenberg, a jazz professor who brings her CDs. Now, at 57, Lata’s about to go on her very first first date. Daughter Priya is 35 and single, which in Raman world is not ideal, but worse: She’s seeing a married man, and she smokes. Even No. 1 son Nikesh is showing some cracks in his picture-perfect life: Glossy high-powered “wife” Denise refuses to celebrate their son’s first birthday with Nikesh’s parents unless he comes clean that they are actually not married. Varadarajan’s novel gives all four full voice to tell their stories. The parents’ come with affectionate Indianisms (when Deanna tells Lata about her own family troubles, Lata “[makes] a mental note to bring her a large Tupperware of lemon rice”); the kids’ with sharp takes on same (Priya explains that resenting an Indian mother’s love of a son was “like resenting the orbit of the moon”). Varadarajan has written her characters with intelligence and compassion, imbuing them with complexity; each narrative mirrors, refracts, refutes, and informs the others in what’s ultimately a tender exploration of family patterns, choices, regrets, and the possibility for change.
Warm, hopeful, often charming. The Ramans are an idiosyncratic oasis in the world of literary unhappy families.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780593498026
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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 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
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