An often moving story of familial grief.
A nontraditional family copes with a great loss in this debut novel.
Sissy Cornwall is a force of nature. Her vibrance, spontaneity, and friendliness positively affect everyone in her orbit; her life motto is “No tears.” That’s why married couple Liz and Cliff Gordon gave the widowed, pregnant young woman a place to stay 18 years ago. Now she and her teenage son, Artie, live with them in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Liz and Cliff have two children of their own, Clara and Michael, and Sissy has becomes a permanent fixture in all of their lives. But when Sissy dies after a long illness, the family no longer knows how to interact with one another. Sissy was a role model to Clara, and the teen strictly adheres to Sissy’s “No tears” policy; Artie is afraid of losing the rest of the family, now that his mother is gone; and Cliff and Liz gave so much of their love to Sissy that they seem to have forgotten how to express it to each other. Averill’s novel shines as it examines the nature of different forms of love within the framework of a grieving family. The story brims with vivid descriptions, particularly when Averill sets a scene, though sometimes the excessive detail feels overwrought. Clara’s arc is a standout, and her romantic feelings for Artie will be relatable to anyone who’s experienced the intensity of young love. Even more intriguing are Liz’s and Cliff’s perspectives as they realize that they’ve failed to grow as a couple. Clara is portrayed as smart, funny, and beautiful, unlike most other girls her age, who are, by contrast, said to be “slutty” and unintelligent—a harmful cliché that does the novel a disservice. There are also typographical errors, which can be distracting (“Artie would have found it easy enough to over look her lackluster attributes”). Even so, Averill still delivers a captivating story.
An often moving story of familial grief.Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 314
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2020
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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