This intricate look at an expatriate’s life proves culturally stimulating, if rambling at times.
A debut literary novel focuses on a European woman living in modern-day Hong Kong.
Reinhild “Kim” Kranich is a young woman with a penchant for Emily Dickinson who finds herself unraveling the many mysteries of Hong Kong. Kim is from Germany and works for an organization called MediMission. Her job involves aiding Filipina domestic workers in a city that can often be cruel to them. Kim is no stranger to such duties, having spent time in Sudan, and though Hong Kong is a more modernized setting, there are many cultural aspects and contradictions for her to process. One of Kim’s best friends in this land of pineapple buns that don’t have pineapple is a local woman named Virginia Ngai. Virginia is close to Kim in age, though their lives display stark contrasts. Whereas Kim’s parents are a passive presence back in Germany, Virginia’s mother and father desperately want her to marry. Nevertheless, the two form an inseparable bond. They converse about their respective religions, the fate of unmarried women, and whether or not it is OK to make domestic servants work on Sunday. Readers will follow along as Kim refines her Cantonese, dates a man named Ben Chan, and tries to make sense of her surroundings. The story gives a vivid, in-depth look at the many facets of Hong Kong. From a yin and yang drink to ghost weddings to the many attempts to ward off bad luck, Nay’s tale deftly shows the city through the eyes of a European who is both a part of such a world and baffled by it. The story delivers an enticing mixture of details that leads to heady topics like the convergence of religious beliefs. But portions of the novel can move in a slow or aimless fashion. For instance, Kim goes on a litter cleanup expedition that is no more exciting than it sounds. During this operation, she meets Ben’s parents only to find that they are nice. What exactly does Kim want from her Hong Kong adventure? There is much for her to explore yet her investigations do not always bear substantial fruit.
This intricate look at an expatriate’s life proves culturally stimulating, if rambling at times.Pub Date: April 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-78864-069-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Cinnamon Press
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2022
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
SEEN & HEARD
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
