A unique and compelling exploration of topical issues.
In Colleen’s novel, five of the world’s wealthiest men are kidnapped and tasked with solving climate change.
Josh Latham is the CEO of Omnicia, “the largest corporation on Earth.” He is greed personified and almost cartoonishly evil in his disregard for probity in favor of amassing endless wealth: “Integrity was a commodity, and he’d sold his many times.” On the precipice of an important meeting, Josh—along with fellow billionaires and corporate honchos William, Matt, Joel, and Mykle—is abducted and later wakes in a remote, high-tech facility in Saskatchewan. This facility, created by mysterious bosses known only as “the founders,” is staffed by an all-female team: Mel is the orchestrator of the abduction, and Thalia, Monica, and Cath serve as therapy guides for the captives. The goal of the operation is to use therapeutic techniques, including meditation, yoga, and psychedelic drugs, to expand the captives’ consciousnesses and ultimately use their combined intellect and resources to save the planet. As Mel says to Josh, “Humans are the only animals who hoard wealth while others die; we think that’s an illness.” The men’s reactions to their confinement vary, from Josh’s obstinacy to Matt’s deep depression; however, they inevitably submit to the program, if only in the hope of returning home. Meanwhile, the women face their own personal demons from their respective pasts—most notably Mel, who is an alcoholic still struggling with her late husband’s suicide. Colleen’s story effectively incorporates elements of familial drama and speculative climate fiction. While the narrative is very engaging, the ending is a bit underwhelming; although it seems entirely plausible that a group of self-serving billionaires would deem themselves enlightened after a single ayahuasca ceremony, the novel’s conclusion wraps up too neatly to bear believability. Additionally, too much time is spent on frivolous details (such as Josh’s foray into virtual reality porn), and the ending feels rushed as a result. Still, Colleen’s fresh premise is intriguing.
A unique and compelling exploration of topical issues.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9798999808516
Page Count: 328
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 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
A debut novel with bright spots, but unbalanced and lacking in finesse.
A high school senior pursues an affair with her teacher.
Seventeen-year-old Waldo, the narrator of McCurdy’s fiction debut, lives in Anchorage, Alaska, with her mother, though she’s long been the parent in their relationship. She heats her own frozen meals and pays the bills on time while her mom chases man after man and makes well-meaning promises she never keeps. Waldo blows her Victoria’s Secret wages on online shopping sprees and binges on junk food, inevitably crashing after the fleeting highs of her indulgences. Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher, has “thinning hair and nose pores”; he’s 40 years old and married with a child. Nevertheless—or possibly as a result?—Waldo’s attraction to him is “instant. So sudden it’s alarming. So palpable it’s confusing.” Mr. Korgy professes to want to keep their friendship aboveboard, but after a sexual encounter at the school’s winter formal that she initiates, an affair begins. Will this reckless pursuit be the one that actually satisfies Waldo, and is she as mature as she thinks she is? Waldo is a keen observer of people and provides sharp commentary on the punishing work of female beauty. Readers of McCurdy’s bestselling memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died (2022), will surely be curious about the tumultuous mother-daughter relationship, and it is one of the novel’s highlights, full of realistic pity and anger and need. (“I want to scream at her. I want her to hug me.”) Unfortunately, the prose is often unwieldy and sometimes downright cringeworthy: When Waldo tells Mr. Korgy she loves him, “The words hang in the air in that constipated way they do when you know that you shouldn’t have said them.” Waldo frequently lists emotions and adjectives in triplicate, and events that could be significant aren’t sufficiently explored or given enough space to breathe before the novel races on to the next thing.
A debut novel with bright spots, but unbalanced and lacking in finesse.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9780593723739
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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