This charming canine tale offers a feel-good escape from the weight of fraught headlines.
In this novel inspired by a true story, two stray dogs in the woods set three strangers on a yearlong rescue operation that creates friendships and inspires major life changes.
It is April, and Bell has just picked up two birthday cakes for a celebration at her home when she pulls over to the side of Langston Road to let an aggressive driver in a tailgating Jeep pass. Bell hears something in the woods, but no human or animal appears—until her second drive down the road. This is when she spots two emaciated and frightened canines, a mother and her young pup, peering out from the foliage. Meanwhile, Emma, who turns out to be the “Jeep Lady” who has been burning rubber down Langston Road, has also spotted the two dogs. She too has been trying to entice the animals out of the woods. Then there is Charles, a driver for a logging company, who has been giving snacks to the hungry strays. It is not until December, in the middle of a heavy rainstorm, that the three rescuers finally meet on the road, each bringing something to help the now solitary puppy through the downpour and learning for the first time that they have all been on the same mission. The three protagonists in Campbell’s upbeat tale about new friendships and fresh beginnings are not fully three-dimensional, but their personal journeys through this swiftly paced adventure are engaging. The author supplies plenty of delightful canine antics (Bell already cares for a devoted, four-dog pack), although the descriptions of pooches and backstories are repeated too often. Naturally, with so many animals taking center stage, there is a tear-inducing episode. But there is also excitement, especially when a tornado rips through the small Southern town. Although Campbell’s frequent use of staccato onomatopoeia (“Splash. Thud. Splash.”) and unadorned prose make the narrative especially appropriate for younger readers, dog lovers of all ages will find the story enjoyable.
This charming canine tale offers a feel-good escape from the weight of fraught headlines.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 979-8986645711
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.
With only a month left until the world ends due to a swiftly approaching black hole, Don and Rodney, a retired gay couple, road-trip from Maine to Washington to spend their final days with their son.
After reports that a planet-swallowing black hole is making its way toward Earth, Rodney and Don—who have been together for 40 years and survived everything from homophobia to the HIV crisis—decide to pack their belongings into an RV, say goodbye to their neighbors, and travel from Camden, Maine, to Washington to uphold a promise to spend their final days with their son. They can’t wait any longer, since there’s already chaos around the country: “Military vehicles in the streets of most cities and towns. Looting, rioting, the burning of cars and buildings and people, all of it had already happened.” As they make their way west across the country, they encounter fellow travelers ranging from close-knit families to free-spirited hippies, some of whom have come to terms with the impending end of the world and others who haven’t. While the story seems to be asking readers what they would do if they had 30 days left to live, and reflects on what different kinds of acceptance might look like in the face of unavoidable tragedy, it loses some of its poignancy in a series of thinly padded monologues about the meaning of life. Clearly intended to pack an emotional punch, it’s failed by an abrupt ending, and the way the journey’s mystery—which will be obvious to many readers—is revealed by an info dump in the last chapter.
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781250881236
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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