Fans of writers from Maeve Binchy to Alice McDermott to J. Courtney Sullivan will relish this big-hearted novel.
A family saga that marries time-tested tropes with distinctly modern dilemmas.
The Ryans have gathered for Thanksgiving on Long Island’s North Fork, and in spite of the three generations at the table, there’s a hole: Everyone misses Topher, whose death by suicide as a young adult they all blame on a 25-years-past boating tragedy involving a neighbor’s son. Topher’s parents, Nora and Robert; his siblings, Alice, Cait, and Maggie; his niece and nephews; his best friend, Luke Larkin—all remain devastated by the loss, and all have their own immediate problems, too. Nora, who grew up in a harsh Irish orphanage, clings to her Catholic faith; Robert tries and fails to keep up their large coastal home, known as the Folly. Scenes past and present exude authenticity, from teenagers pounding beers on a dock to the family vegan scarfing down a huge slice of apple pie with ice cream, on to Robert’s shooting of a rabid raccoon, his grandchildren looking on in horror. The family daughters are dutiful (Alice), distracted (Cait), and discombobulated (Maggie), each hiding something important from the rest of the family for good reasons, but with terrible timing about what they tell to whom, when. They constantly speculate on what the others think and know and suspect as their perspectives hold sway over different chapters. Occasionally these different views wind up confusing: Is Cait’s son Finn older than his brother James? What happened to the Larkins? Who was Maggie’s old flame Sarah again? and so on. However, if the windup is a bit chaotic, the revelations are worth it, and show that even the most rigid members of a family can learn to bend when deep love and affection exist. An “Irish goodbye” refers to slipping out of a party early without thanks or leave-taking. O’Neill allows her entire cast of characters to exit on a beautiful, yet unresolved, note.
Fans of writers from Maeve Binchy to Alice McDermott to J. Courtney Sullivan will relish this big-hearted novel.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781250408150
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 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
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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