A capably written, if rather leisurely, novel of a vacation relationship.
In Dahl’s novel, an American tourist in need of a reset seeks answers in Southeast Asia.
Lidia DeCampos has allowed her old friends, the Vondervilles, to talk her into taking part in a group tour of Namyan. The Southeast Asian country has recently reopened to the world after years of isolation, boasting beautiful colonial architecture, Buddhist temples, and other picturesque sights. The tour group, led by Namyanese guide Thila, consists of 18 Americans from various walks of life, and together they travel the country in an air-conditioned bus. Lidia, a textbook illustrator in her 60s, is trying to get back to enjoying life after a long, difficult period that she’d rather not discuss. She starts the trip with a bang by consuming a psychoactive betel nut and making a fool out of herself on the very first day. The other Americans turn out to be an intense group, each with a history of personal and professional dissatisfaction; they include a retired colonel; a right-wing, retired oilman; an insect researcher; and a video blogger. Lidia finds herself gravitating toward fellow traveler Klaus Haynes, a self-described “extreme political adventure travel blogger.” But will she find anything in Namyan that she can take back home to her lonely life in New York City? Dahl’s prose is measured and often lyrical, particularly in her descriptions of the fictional Namyan, which is modeled on Myanmar: “The equivalent of most of the world’s cathedrals was spread out as far as they could see—walled ruins of a palace stretching for acres, temples placed like giant chess pieces waiting to be played under the blazing sun.” The characters are well constructed, but not a lot happens to them over the course of the story; the most exciting event involves the police enforcing Namyan’s severe laws involving footwear. The shaggy story structure is perhaps appropriate for a travel novel, however. For maximum enjoyment, the reader is advised to not worry too much and simply go along for the ride.
A capably written, if rather leisurely, novel of a vacation relationship.Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64742-329-2
Page Count: 232
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 27, 2021
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 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
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