A thought-provoking collection of fiction and nonfiction.
George Orwell and David Bowie are recurring figures in fiction and nonfiction pieces that examine passion, truth, politics, and authoritarianism in Raffetto’s collection.
“Inside Orwell”is a fictional recounting of George Orwell’s life and his transformative experiences in the Spanish Civil War. (“He, like no other author, was undeceived by the period’s politics, wars, current events, and the struggles of the workers and the powerless.”) “Bowie and the Berlin Wall” is an extensively footnoted essay analyzing David Bowie’s connection to Berlin. Raffetto draws parallels between Bowie and Orwell, who both used pseudonyms, “creating alter egos who became groundbreaking artists and cultural icons.” “Venice to Venice” is a story about an FBI agent named Brian who served as an intelligence officer in Iraq in 2006. In 2017, he is working for the FBI in Venice, California, trying to repair his relationship with his 19-year-old daughter Emily. Brian reflects on the 1987 Bowie concert that he attended at the Berlin Wall: “Thinking of those days, when he was a junior analyst at the agency, made him nostalgic. He had been so optimistic then, so different from the dark pessimism he felt now.” “The Mysteries of Game Theory” takes place in a future Los Angeles where James, a former Facebook data scientist, emerges from two years underground after a pandemic to search for his sister, Cleo. James becomes involved in the fight against the authoritarian government. “The Georges” explores a white man’s rage over the hypocritical coverage of the murder of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman, his killer (“This type of Orwellian logic has become a cancer on our society”). Raffetto writes deftly in both fiction and nonfiction modes. Incorporating many facts of Orwell’s life and his involvement in the Spanish Civil War with fictional re-creations of those experiences adds to the realism of “Inside Orwell.” The extended length of the stories, with their recurring themes of authoritarianism and political division, allows the main characters to develop realistic family and romantic connections. Ultimately, the threads of Orwell and Bowie woven throughout prove fascinating.
A thought-provoking collection of fiction and nonfiction.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9798218398651
Page Count: 306
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
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
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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