Despite the utter unbelievability of every other plot element, you still end up craving one of those sandwiches.
One-half of the happiest couple on earth—or at least in the fictional Passamaquoddy, Maine—conceals her terminal diagnosis from her husband.
Despite a tortuous history of pregnancy loss, Annie and Sam have been a perfect match since high school. Well-liked in their Maine hometown, they came back after college to run a sandwich shop with a sub so popular it's a tourist attraction—the totally unhealthy and impossibly delicious "Paul Bunyan," consisting of salami, American cheese, tomatoes, onions, green peppercorns, pickles, and a mysterious sauce holding it all together. Considering the success of the couple's relationship, it's odd that they've never really learned to have a conversation—but that's what sets this kooky rom-com in motion, with additional bold plot contrivances (obscure medical conditions, family secrets, sudden personality changes, magical wealth and influence) also playing their parts. When the local doctor takes a look at Annie's lungs and tells her with tears in his eyes to get her affairs in order, she knows she must break the news to her darling Sam. But when Sam cuts her off and changes the subject, she decides not to tell him at all. Instead, she'll write him a manual on how to manage his life after she's gone. Each chapter of Medwed's first novel in 12 years starts with a quote from the manual—"Women like flowers," "Don't let your underwear become tattered," "Change the answering machine to your own voice"—and longer excerpts are also included, featuring quite a bit of urging that, as a widower, Sam seek comfort from Annie's lifelong best friend, Rachel. Though the doctor continues to insist she tell both Sam and her mother (a famous actress who's been worthless as a parent and is now, after many husbands, this doctor's girlfriend) and also to please, please consult a specialist for a second opinion, Annie sees no rush. If you're gonna die, you're gonna die.
Despite the utter unbelievability of every other plot element, you still end up craving one of those sandwiches.Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64385-643-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Alcove Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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 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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