Ordinary life outshines the drama in this uneven but inspiring novel.
A pastor takes in a troubled young man with an unsettling gift in Blosser’s novel.
The Rev. Peter Gailey is a pastor in the small Rust Belt town of New Wilmington, Ohio. From the top of its tallest hill, he observes his neighbors and reflects on the community’s long history, from its settlement to the economic unease of the present day. At home, Pete strives to stay positive and supportive for his beloved wife, Meg, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer; at church, Pete tries to show the same love and acceptance to everyone he meets. “I’m not going to condemn who you are,” he tells a young man named Jamie, who has been kicked out of his home for being gay. “I’m going to celebrate it.” Jamie’s sad tale of rejection moves Pete to bring him home to live with him and Meg, and he gives him a job helping out at the church. Jamie quickly displays an incredible talent for connecting with both troubled youths and the elderly facing the ends of their lives. In just one summer, Jamie is present for several deaths, seemingly comforting those in need but also raising the suspicions of locals and even the police. Pastor Pete must face a strange, faith-testing question about his young ward: Is Jamie a miracle worker or a murderer? This mystery puts an intriguing spin on an inspirational story, but it also feels out of sync with the book’s first half, which offers straightforward, episodic introductions to the struggles of various townspeople. Despite the novel’s somewhat lopsided structure, Blosser’s flair for character, dialogue, and humor shines throughout; the marriage between Pete and Meg feels particularly realistic and rich as they reflect on both their deep love and annoyance over past grievances. Ultimately, the more dramatic elements prove less engaging than Pete’s reflections on everyday life, which the author graces with short bursts of lyrical insight, as when Pete explains that there is a “long shadow of lives cut short follow[ing] him,” giving him a reason to always say “I love you.”
Ordinary life outshines the drama in this uneven but inspiring novel.Pub Date: April 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781638294474
Page Count: 194
Publisher: Austin Macauley
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tender and moving portrait about the transcendent power of art and friendship.
An artwork’s value grows if you understand the stories of the people who inspired it.
Never in her wildest dreams would foster kid Louisa dream of meeting C. Jat, the famous painter of The One of the Sea, which depicts a group of young teens on a pier on a hot summer’s day. But in Backman’s latest, that’s just what happens—an unexpected (but not unbelievable) set of circumstances causes their paths to collide right before the dying 39-year-old artist’s departure from the world. One of his final acts is to bequeath that painting to Louisa, who has endured a string of violent foster homes since her mother abandoned her as a child. Selling the painting will change her life—but can she do it? Before deciding, she accompanies Ted, one of the artist’s close friends and one of the young teens captured in that celebrated painting, on a train journey to take the artist’s ashes to his hometown. She wants to know all about the painting, which launched Jat’s career at age 14, and the circle of beloved friends who inspired it. The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (2014) and other novels, Backman gives us a heartwarming story about how these friends, set adrift by the violence and unhappiness of their homes, found each other and created a new definition of family. “You think you’re alone,” one character explains, “but there are others like you, people who stand in front of white walls and blank paper and only see magical things. One day one of them will recognize you and call out: ‘You’re one of us!’” As Ted tells stories about his friends—how Jat doubted his talents but found a champion in fiery Joar, who took on every bully to defend him; how Ali brought an excitement to their circle that was “like a blinding light, like a heart attack”—Louisa recognizes herself as a kindred soul and feels a calling to realize her own artistic gifts. What she decides to do with the painting is part of a caper worthy of the stories that Ted tells her. The novel is humorous, poignant, and always life-affirming, even when describing the bleakness of the teens’ early lives. “Art is a fragile magic, just like love,” as someone tells Louisa, “and that’s humanity’s only defense against death.”
A tender and moving portrait about the transcendent power of art and friendship.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781982112820
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.
A 16-year-old savant uses his Groundhog Day gift to solve his grandfather’s murder.
Nishizawa’s compulsively readable puzzle opens with the discovery of the victim, patriarch Reijiro Fuchigami, sprawled on a futon in the attic of his elegant mansion, where his family has gathered for a consequential announcement about his estate. The weapon seems to be a copper vase lying nearby. Given this setup, the novel might have proceeded as a traditional whodunit but for two delightful features. The first is the ebullient narration of Fuchigami’s youngest grandson, Hisataro, thrust into the role of an investigator with more dedication than finesse. The second is Nishizawa’s clever premise: The 16-year-old Hisataro has lived ever since birth with a condition that occasionally has him falling into a time loop that he calls "the Trap," replaying the same 24 hours of his life exactly nine times before moving on. And, of course, the murder takes place on the first day of one of these loops. Can he solve the murder before the cycle is played out? His initial strategies—never leaving his grandfather’s side, focusing on specific suspects, hiding in order to observe them all—fall frustratingly short. Hisataro’s comical anxiety rises with every failed attempt to identify the culprit. It’s only when he steps back and examines all the evidence that he discovers the solution. First published in 1995, this is the first of Nishizawa’s novels to be translated into English. As for Hisataro, he ultimately concludes that his condition is not a burden but a gift: “Time’s spiral never ends.”
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781805335436
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 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.
