An abundance of good writing and interesting storylines and environmental information, but not much to tie it together.
In the wake of their mother’s death, a Florida family regroups.
Strong’s fourth novel, set over two recent summer months in a wealthy area of Florida, is defined by an unusual decision: The third-oldest of the four Kenner siblings, Jude, is its omniscient narrator. At one point, there is a parenthetical acknowledgement of how weird this is: “A lot of what I’m saying here I found out later; the rest, as Fred would say, I’ve imagined my way into, because why not.” The reason Fred, short for Winnifred, would say this is that she, the second child, is the writer in the family, and her published books have been the source of difficulty and estrangement. With the story she tells here, Jude is effectively taking back the narrative, describing Fred’s (and everyone else’s) experiences in Florida so intimately that one has to keep reminding oneself that this is Jude’s story and trying to recall which woman goes with which husband or ex-husband, etc., and that Jude is largely offstage in New York. As the novel opens, the children’s mother has had a stroke while running and died two days later. Jude and her youngest sibling, George, come to town for the funeral; George remains at their parents’ house for the rest of the novel. One of the things Jude “found out later” is why he didn’t want to go home to Houston. Another such thing is that at the “party that was not a party” after the funeral, Fred found a gun in their mother’s dresser drawer. The story of this gun, both in the past and the present, is the closest thing the novel has to a throughline, and the suspicion that it must at some point be discharged proves true. Every one of the many characters, including the dead mother, has backstories and subplots and friends and associates. Threaded through it all is bad news about the Floridian landscape and climate that plays little role in the plot.
An abundance of good writing and interesting storylines and environmental information, but not much to tie it together.Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780063390737
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Mariner Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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