Observant, stirring writing that explores the challenges of openness.
An Indian optician living in New York City comes to terms with the fact that she’s gay in Sood’s novel.
The story opens in Queens with Priya, a woman with a master’s degree in English who later became “mesmerized by the world of optics.” Currently, she’s mourning the death of her cousin, Prem. As the family prepares to scatter Prem’s ashes into the Ganges in India, she reflects on the tight bond she shared with her cousin and the secrets they shared. Born a day apart in the same hospital in Calcutta, Prem remained in India, a closeted gay man who married and became a father before taking his own life; Priya, meanwhile, relocated to New York, where she fell for fellow student Leyla, only for her love to be unrequited. Priya now works at 20/20 Optical, where her mundane daily life involves awkward interactions with customers and coping with her quirky colleagues—Sam, the owner, who sees the business as his “lifeblood,” and Ed, a lazy yet gifted optician with a mysterious past. Priya’s world is thrown into turmoil when Leyla is unexpectedly hired as 20/20’s new doctor and reveals that she now has a husband. It’s unusual to set a novel in an optician’s store, but Sood makes it work brilliantly, as its workers are endearing and sharply observed, as when Priya describes Sam: “He struck me as someone who didn’t just open a business but poured himself into it.” The narrative is punctuated with precise optician-speak (“rimless frames with hi-index lenses in a minus six or six and a quarter”); however, the crackle of jargon is offset by Priya’s tender inner thoughts, which Sood relates poetically: “what had broken my spirit was that I loved her.” The novel also offers moments of poignant, powerful dialogue along the way: “ ‘We could be in a different place.’ I said. ‘If people just talked about it.’ ” Readers seeking a neat resolution to the story may be mildly dissatisfied, but this makes Priya’s emotional journey no less gripping.
Observant, stirring writing that explores the challenges of openness.Pub Date: May 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62-601503-6
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Riverdale Avenue Books
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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
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