Brandon proves that even an impossible situation with only one outcome can suddenly yield an unexpected solution.
An old debt threatens to upend a young ex-con's efforts to start his life over again.
"Nobody's even," aging crime boss Arthur Bonne tells the kid standing in his office. "There's guys I help and guys I hurt. You fall in that first bunch. I'm asking you to do something for me, and if you do it right and don't perform a full wop opera in my office, I won't ask you to do nothing else." The kid is Pratt Zimmer; he's just 25, but he's lived and lost enough to know better than to believe Bonne will ever leave him alone. Pratt's fresh from a three-year jail stint for his part in a botched car theft that set Bonne back $250,000, and now Bonne expects more from him than just jail time to make them square again. Added to the money debt is an emotional one: Bonne partly blames Pratt for the death of his son, Matty, even though Pratt was behind bars by the time his childhood friend's indulgence in too many drugs got the better of him. "It could only be punishment," Pratt realizes about the job. "That was the only thing that made sense. Forced penance for Matty." In this novel and his others—especially Arkansas (2008) and Citrus County (2010)—Brandon explores the difficult circumstances surrounding desperate characters in humid, forgotten corners of the Southeast. Here, he's crafted a compelling thriller set around Tampa in the 1990s as a young ex-con struggles to start his life over, even though the deck is stacked against him. It's not just the job Bonne tells him to finish by the end of June—kill an accountant who's stealing from Bonne—that's the problem. Pratt's still grieving the loss of his parents in a boating accident, coping with the guilt he partly accepts for not doing more to protect Matty from himself, and nursing a smoldering love for Kallie, Matty's ex. He's also facing a string of lowlife thugs, drug dealers, and a dirty cop as he tries to figure out how not to kill the accountant and still free himself from Bonne's debt. Brandon keeps the story moving at a brisk pace, and his choice of a 1990s setting is especially interesting: It reminds readers how different—and how difficult—things like a stakeout were in a cellphone-free, GPS-less world.
Brandon proves that even an impossible situation with only one outcome can suddenly yield an unexpected solution.Pub Date: Nov. 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781963270075
Page Count: 250
Publisher: McSweeney’s
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
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
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
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