A deeply affecting novel that blends sharp humor with aching vulnerability.
Stephenson offers a tale of self-discovery about an adrift 22-year-old Californian who finds purpose in a new job as a live-in biographer.
It’s 2011, and Franny Chase feels caught between the grind of low-wage, part-time work at a “la-di-da Westwood Village bed/bath boutique” and her dream of becoming a professional writer. However, when she accepts a position as live-in assistant to Dorothy Gaines, an overbearing and eccentric older woman who wants Franny to write her memoir, her employment becomes more than an ordinary job. What begins as a way for Franny to make ends meet soon leads her to a web of expectations, secrets, and fragile alliances inside the grand house she now lives in. Stephenson’s novel flows easily between past and present, explores the young narrator’s uneasy friendship with wealthy divorcée Vicky Shirley, as she deals with her own recent divorce; her ill-fated flirtation with Dorothy’s charming but dangerous grandson Bobby, a lawyer; and Franny's desire to find a family after the early deaths of her parents. The characters she encounters don’t serve as obstacles, simply there to make Franny’s life harder; instead, they function more like mirrors, showing her all the fears, flaws, and strengths that others see in her. The novel’s use of dialogue and atmosphere is excellent, revealing drawing rooms glowing with color and texture (“All accommodating the pleasing accumulated clutter of a life. All glowing with beeswax rubbed to a shine”), and parties limned with tension and possibility. Its willingness to dwell on themes of self-doubt and longing will resonate with readers who appreciate narrative introspection; others, though, may find the repetitiveness of the narrator’s insecurity slows the pace. Still, there’s a lively push and pull between biting humor and bruised sincerity that elevates the work. It’s not inaccurate to call it a coming-of-age story, but it situates itself less in youthful romance than in the messy, enduring work of survival, reinvention, and belonging.
A deeply affecting novel that blends sharp humor with aching vulnerability.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9798900710358
Page Count: 295
Publisher: Luminare Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 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 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
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