An illuminating novel in which familial love, compassion, and kindness shine in a setting of greed, discourtesy, and...
A trip to a government hospital shows a young Indian boy the price of poverty in Sharma’s historical novel.
In a small Indian town in the 1980s, 14-year-old Tholly is a dutiful Hindu son with a fearless, tenacious spirit. When a neighborhood doctor can’t help his father’s persistent cough, Tholly insists on taking him to the closest state-run hospital—a long journey made even longer because the teen must take his father on his bike. Tholly’s father isn’t the only patient in need of care; the medical wards and hallways are packed with the infirm, yet the medical staff are either missing, on the phone making personal calls, or huddled in groups discussing the latest cricket match. As days go by and Tholly and his family await a doctor for his dad, they witness the staff’s callous, corrupt behavior affecting other patrons, including a Muslim woman they befriend named Fatima, whose young son is in critical condition following a hit-and-run. A glossary and footnotes define Hindi and other terms—such as abbu, which means father—which may be unfamiliar to some young readers. The storylines that follow Fatima; kindly, professional Dr. Manoj; and pregnant woman Kaveri counterbalance the sense of hopelessness; Fatima, for example, champions faith over religious intolerance; and Dr. Manoj’s unwavering virtuousness implies that corruption won’t always prevail. The alternating stories are riveting and will make readers root for the underdogs. The realities of sexual and religious violence are explicitly detailed to the point of being jarring, but it is effectively shown as part of the characters’ reality. A sense of humor still manages to hold steady, though, as when Tholly realizes that he “had accomplished a rare feat—paying bribe on credit.”
An illuminating novel in which familial love, compassion, and kindness shine in a setting of greed, discourtesy, and exploitation.Pub Date: March 3, 2022
ISBN: 9798424673245
Page Count: 100
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2025 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.
