An underdeveloped novel about finding one’s place when far away from home.
A dutiful wife and mother leaves small-town Oklahoma for Thailand in Lav’s debut novel set in the mid-1970s.
Brian Carrol accepts a job in Bangkok from an American oil and gas company. His journalist wife, Crystal, will remain in Pico City, Oklahoma with their children, Lisa and Tim, for two months while they complete the school year; then they’ll all move to Thailand to be with him. Brian never asked Crystal if she wanted to go, which she quietly laments. In Bangkok, Brian gets to know Judi, a masseuse, but turns down her sexual advances. Crystal reluctantly leaves her job, and once in Thailand with the kids, she feels isolated. Still, she develops a friendship with her maid, Nit, who hopes to attend an American university. Crystal insists on tutoring her, but Nit is unable to grasp English grammar and quits her job. Hoping to make amends, Crystal tracks down Nit’s parents, who accept the money she offers them but also berate her, noting that she knows “nothing of our lives.” Meanwhile, Brian uncovers an embezzlement scheme at his place of business, which puts the family in danger—and young Tim is briefly kidnapped. Later, Crystal discovers Brian’s secret relationship with Judi and becomes severely depressed; Brian arranges for her to return to the United States, where she’s hospitalized. Later, she returns to Bangkok, and begins writing remotely for the Oklahoma Daily. Over the course of this novel, Lav presents an ambitious tale about overstepping cultural boundaries and losing one’s autonomy within a marriage. However, some of the story’s more complex issues resolve far too easily; for instance, 8-year-old Tim is abducted for two entire days, but he recovers from the ordeal unrealistically quickly. The dialogue often falls flat, and the inner monologues are stilted and unrevealing (“I’m not sure of anything anymore. This is so hard!” Brian muses). The novel does, however, give readers an unusual glimpse of life in Thailand in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
An underdeveloped novel about finding one’s place when far away from home.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63152-707-4
Page Count: 280
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2020
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 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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