A book whose brevity belies its profound philosophical teasing.
In Piatigorsky’s novel, a journalist is determined to write an honest biography of her best friend—a project that proves to be a profound philosophical and metaphysical challenge.
Devra Denniston is a very successful (and very private) scientist and academic, who, as the story opens, is at her 75th birthday party. Her best friend, journalist Alison Mellows, wants to write Devra’s biography, which she proposes as a gift. Devra resists strenuously at first, but later she falls mysteriously ill with a malady whose severity fluctuates dangerously. Alison (whom Devra calls “Angela”) later discovers a cache of her friend’s writings. Devra is not only a respected scientist but a talented wordsmith, and the bulk of the book consists of selections of Devra’s writings, which serve as fodder for Alison’s research into her subject. Some are clearly fictional tales, others are transcriptions of dreams, and still others lie in a tantalizing gray area. Devra may, in fact, be a fabulist of the first order, and neither Alison nor the reader ever really knows the truth. The key term here is uncertain—a term that permeates everything. Devra never warmed to her parents, for example, which leads to questions: Did her father abuse her? Was she, in fact, adopted? Did she, a woman who never married, have a child whom she surrendered for adoption? Eventually, Alison is encouraged to write and publish her long-planned biography, and in a final, sardonic twist, the initially poorly selling book later becomes a bestseller for the wrong reasons.
Readers may wonder if the novel is intended as an honest exploration of its themes, or if it’s an elaborate put-on. Its main theme seems to hinge on the distinction, as it explores the boundaries between reality and imagination; Devra has been struggling with such duality all her life. Certainty and uncertainty also play a large part in the narrative—so much so that Alison eventually opts for uncertainty, because it leaves open possibilities that the other option closes off: “Uncertainty, like hope, leaves the door open for a miracle to slip through”—a fair point, and one of the easier ones to grasp. However, the book’s discussion of reality and imagination brings to mind familiar conundrums, such as the old Taoist story in which Zhuang Zhou dreams of being a butterfly and then wonders if he’s actually a butterfly dreaming of being a man. There are really only two characters in the story—“Angela” and Devra; later, the situation changes, and “Angela” can be Alison again. These symbolic nudges surface again and again, and one starts to wonder how close these “blood sisters” really are. There are a couple of points when it seems as if “Angela” and Devra have switched places in the narrative. In any other book, one might pass it off as a simple slip-up, but such is the atmosphere of deception and gaslighting in this story that readers can’t truly be sure; perhaps they are all part of the joke.
A book whose brevity belies its profound philosophical teasing.Pub Date: April 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781964428086
Page Count: 197
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2025
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
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
© Copyright 2026 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.
