A lovely exploration of the phase of self-discovery between early adulthood and middle age.
Three expatriate women navigate love, work, friendship, and family amid the sunny, cosmopolitan glitter of modern Singapore.
Dara, a workaholic Nigerian British lawyer, excitedly senses that she’s on the verge of becoming a partner in her firm, a long-awaited reward for the long hours she’s put in. Amaka, Dara’s best friend, is a credit-risk officer from Nigeria who’s navigating her father’s death and her place—or lack thereof—within his second family as she finds herself spending more and more time gazing lustfully at luxury shoes online. Finally, there’s Lillian, a Nigerian American former pianist turned teacher of Business English who's followed her husband to the island, hoping to start a family even as their marriage threatens to fall apart. Initially drawn together by a book club, the three women become further intertwined when Lani, a handsome and accomplished Nigerian lawyer, joins Dara’s firm, and the women find themselves involved with him in distinctive and potentially explosive ways. As Lani racks up successes and builds admiration at the firm, Dara senses her position is threatened, and she must decide what she’s willing to do to preserve her career. Amaka finds herself irresistibly attracted to him (and away from her stable relationship with her boyfriend) after a chance meeting one night. Seeking an evening course in Japanese, Lani meets Lillian at the language academy where she works, and she is immediately struck by, and then increasingly obsessed with, his resemblance to her late father. Alternating among the perspectives of the three women, Fadipe showcases her rich talent for illustrating Singapore’s social and economic landscape as well as the emotional complexities that motivate each character.
A lovely exploration of the phase of self-discovery between early adulthood and middle age.Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2023
ISBN: 9781538741498
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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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