An unexpectedly touching, laugh-out-loud afterlife adventure.
In this novel, a woman finds the afterlife surprisingly frustrating.
At the beginning of Schmidt’s tale, Frances Beacon, “the best-selling author of Sex, Drugs and Social Security, who proudly declared that she’d live to be 100,” has one careless moment on Madison Avenue in New York City. She is wiped out by a taxicab 35 years ahead of her own schedule. Frances has never been against aging, but she’s always been bitterly opposed to “olding”—“blurting out your ailments to total strangers. Voluntarily segregating yourself in geezer ghettos with bad food, bad role models, and bad vibes.” Now, all such questions are suddenly moot. She finds herself in an astonishingly mundane afterlife, being guided through her new reality by a “Transitional Trauma Specialist” named Grayson, who describes himself as “part guide, part counselor. Compassionate probation officer with a little concierge thrown in for good measure.” Frances enrolls in the University of the Afterlife in order to learn the ins and outs of her new world, which features a lot of honest soul-searching but also great helpings of exactly the kinds of small-minded sexism she thought she’d left behind on Earth. And since it’s not in her nature to yield to the status quo, Frances soon becomes what one character calls “a one-woman rebellion.” Schmidt writes all of this good absurdist fun with unflagging energy, a surprising amount of life wisdom smuggled in among the satire, and, most of all, a consistently sharp, comedic ear—this is a very amusing novel. The author also delivers a moving story with an intriguing protagonist who recognizes her shortcomings. At one point, Frances confesses: “I’m not nearly as nice as I seem or seemed. You wouldn’t believe the crap I’d say about people waiting in the TSA line, but only in my head.” Readers will be rooting for Frances, flaws and all, from the first page.
An unexpectedly touching, laugh-out-loud afterlife adventure.Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63988-046-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
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
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
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